Villanova Balance on Offense Results in a 79 – 61 Victory over Pitt
VILLANOVA, PA. 12/13/2025 –
The Pittsburgh Panthers visited the Finn. Two former Big East foes meeting again. That didn’t matter too much since no players and probably no coaches are here from that era. What did matter to the Villanova Wildcats was getting a bounce back effort after a big loss to Michigan earlier in the week. They put that game behind them and Nova takes a 79 – 61 win over the Panthers. Significant to Villanova.
“It’s really important. You’ve got to bounce back after a bad loss,” Villanova forward Duke Brennan said. “We had two great days of practice and that prepared us for the game. Bouncing back and being able to defend our home is really important.”
The Wildcats got balanced scoring as Brennan scored a career-high 24 points making all 8 of his field goal attempts while adding 8 of 12 from the foul line. Brennan had a team-best 9 rebounds. Complementing him was guard Bryce Lindsay who also added 24 points. He was a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc. Guard Acaden Lewis scored 11 points and handed out a game-high 7 assists.
“The more we can get Duke involved in pick and rolls, it just puts pressure on the weakside defense,” said Villanova Coach Kevin Willard. “When you have young guards and a team that hasn’t been together very long, sometimes it just takes a little time to know what works and what doesn’t work. Acaden, Bryce, and Dev (Askew) are doing a good job of trying to learn what we’re trying to do.”
Decisive Run
Villanova was in control for most of the game and withstood and answered every Pitt change. The Wildcats trailed 28 – 24 with just over 6 minutes remaining in the first half. Nova went on a 17 – 4 run to halftime, a stretch where the Panthers missed 3 shots and turned the ball over 3 times. The Wildcats led would stretch to as many as 19 points in the second half.
What the Numbers Say
The Wildcats made 52% from the floor (26 of 50). From the free throw line Villanova went to the charity stripe 24 times making 18, both a season-high. From the floor the Cats handed out 20 assists and turned the ball over just 3 times. Pitt did outrebound Nova 36 to 27 and 16 of 7 off the offensive glass which gave the Panthers a 17 – 8 edge in second chance points.
Barry Dunning, Jr. led Pitt with 17 points. Nojus Indrusaitis had 14 points.
Up Next
Villanova ends their nonconference slate on Friday against Wisconsin in the Milwaukee Hoops Classic on Friday.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
Be the first to comment