Villanova Bounces Back against Delaware State
Written by David Szczepanski on November 15, 2022
After a disappointing loss on Friday to Temple, Villanova dropped out of the AP Top 25 rankings. However, Villanova battled against the Delaware State Hornets on Monday night and earned a gritty win.
Final Score: 60-Villanova 50-Delaware State
Game Recap
In a game where Villanova was predicted to win by about 35 points, the Wildcats found themselves trailing by three at halftime. The Wildcats had some good opportunities throughout the first half, but just could not hit key shots. In fact, Villanova missed their first 16 three-point attempts of the game. Meanwhile, for the first ten minutes of the contest, Villanova struggled defensively, too. However, after a few costly Hornet turnovers, Villanova’s defense found their stride. With the help of Brandon Slater at the free throw line, Villanova’s offense also finally started to put some points on the board and gathered momentum heading into intermission.
In the second half, Coach Neptune switched up the rotations and inserted Freshman Brendan Hausen into the lineup for offense while using Chris Arcidiacono for defense. Hausen immediately made an impact with a corner three that infused the Finneran Pavilion with energy. Hausen, who scored seven points, was a huge part of the second half push by Villanova. In fact, Hausen received multiple ovations from the Villanova faithful.
In the end, Eric Dixon and Brandon Slater led the Wildcats in scoring. Dixon shot 7-12 with 17 points. Slater scored 15 points, while shooting 12-12 at the charity stripe. Delaware State had contributions from nearly every player in their constantly changing rotation, but Villanova’s star power propelled them to outscoring the Hornets by 13 in the second half.
It definitely was not pretty, but Villanova did the little things right in the second half and made the right adjustments. Also, this early season adversity should help Villanova, specifically the freshman, as the season continues into the winter months.
Villanova is now 2-1 on the young season, including a perfect record at home. The Wildcats will next travel up north to battle Michigan State on Friday at 8pm. Pat Scanlon will have a live broadcast of the game from the Breslin Center on WXVU, 89.1 The Roar.
