The Lions Win 90 – 80 at the Finneran Pavilion
VILLANOVA, PA. 11/6/2024 –
It will take the Villanova Wildcats some time to get familiar with one another and develop on court chemistry. The team will need more time to jell. Another variable was added in that their leader Eric Dixon played his first game of the season, something else to adjust to for Nova.
Meanwhile the visiting Columbia Lions do not have that problem. They have seniors and juniors who have been playing together, Did experience make the difference? It did. The Lions had four players in double figures and turned the ball over only 8 times in a 90 – 80 win over the Wildcats.
“Credit Columbia,” said Neptune. “They had a game plan. They shared the ball, moved the ball, they had counters for everything we tried to do defensively. We couldn’t get enough stops to get it done.”
Dixon Returns
He made his presence felt by scoring a game-high 33 points, just one shy of his career-high. The first basket by Dixon, the first basket of the game, put him over the 1,500 career-point plateau. For the game Dixon made 11 of 16 field goal attempts and 5 of 7 three-point baskets, just one short of his collegiate-best made three-point field goals. Dixon sank all 6 free throws.
“It’s a great honor to me, my coaches, and my teammates throughout all my six years here all contributed to it,” Dixon said about reaching the milestone. “Obviously it’s not the focus tonight, but something you look back on a couple of years down the line.”
Only two other Wildcats scored in double-digits. Senior Jordan Longino scored 14 points. Newcomer Wooga Poplar added 16 points.
Columbia Experienced Quintet
The player who did the most damage was senior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa who scored a team-high 22 points making 2 three-pointers and all 10 free throws. It is his sixth straight consecutive games scoring in double-digits.
At the guard position Avery Brown and Kenny Boland combined for 32 points (18 for Brown, 14 by Boland) shooting 11 of 17 from the field. Fellow juniors Blair Thompson and Zine Eddine Bedri at the forward spots totaled 11 points.
A major factor showing togetherness was in committing 8 turnovers to 12 for Villanova. The mistakes were costly for the hosts as the Lions had a 21 – 9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the second game with double-digit turnovers for the Wildcats.
Columbia made 53.7% from the floor (29 of 54) and 58% in the second half.
Key Run of the Game
The issue was decided in the middle of the second half. Nova took the lead at 53 – 52 with 13:23 remaining on a layup by Longino. The Lions responded by going on a 17 – 5 run capped by two free throws by forward Noah Robledo for a 69 – 58 lead at the 6:38 mark. During the run the Wildcats made 2 of 8 field goal attempts. The lead would grow to 13 points twice. Villanova would get no closer than 9 points.
Up Next
The Wildcats (1 – 1) end their three-game season opening home stand on Friday against NJIT. Another chance to develop on court togetherness. And get past this setback.
“You don’t want to come in and lose,” Neptune said. “Everybody wants to win. We’ve got to think about that, and accept the fact that it happened, and now we’ve got to move on from it, get ready for the next game. We’ve got to get better.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
Be the first to comment