Kwame Evans Jr.’s double-double leads Villanova to a 99-62 blowout of Rider
Evans, who had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks on Saturday, looked the healthiest he has looked since joining the Wildcats this past spring. Villanova played without freshman Luigi Suigo.
Villanova has not lost a game in the United States of America and has now won three in a row.
Villanova (3-1) hosted Rider and earned a 99-62 lopsided win at Finneran Pavilion on Saturday night. Rider (1-4) entered the game ranked No. 359 out of 365 Division 1 teams in KenPom, a respected analytical ranking system. Devin Royal led Villanova with 21 points. The Wildcats outrebounded the Broncs, 54-33.
“I think we locked in really well with really a big week ahead of us,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “So I thought the guys paid attention to the game plan and really did a good job of just staying locked in on what we had to do.”
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The team was without freshman center Luigi Suigo, while Darryl “Buddy” Simmons left the game with four minutes left in the first half.
Villanova shot 32-for-70 (45.7%) from the field and 10-for-28 (35.7%) on three-pointers.
Rider entered the game ranked in the 300s in both two-point and three-point field goal shooting.
Kwame Evans Jr. looks healthy
Graduate forward Kwame Evans Jr. started and played 21 minutes, partially due to Suigo being out. Evans looked the healthiest he has this season, totaling 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was the sixth double-double of his career.
“I mean, I think defensively, he could be the biggest defensive player of the year,” Willard said. “[Because] he’s so talented, he uses his length well, he’s smart. It’s just we just got to get him game minutes. … It’s just he was out for a long time. So for him, he’s just got to get the rhythm back in the game. I think day-to-day, even in practice, we’re seeing him just kind of get back to being comfortable being on the floor again.”
During the offseason, Evans battled a foot injury that kept him sidelined for almost the entire preseason. He then sat in Villanova’s 95-66 win over Holy Cross on Nov. 6 due to “left hip soreness”.
However, he went on to play the following game against La Salle, totaling eight points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Evans averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds last season at Oregon.
“It’s great, man,” Royal said when asked about playing with Evans. “His physicality, his length, I just think, like what Coach said, he’s got to get back in motion for a while. But I mean, once you get back in motion, it’s helpful. It’s going to be a great game.”
Injury Report
Villanova was without Suigo due to “right knee soreness.”
After a rough season opener, Suigo averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in his last two games.
When asked if Suigo was sitting to heal up for upcoming games against Pitt and No. 20, he said that it was right knee soreness and “that is all [he] had to say.”
Suigo taking a game off against Rider potentially could just be a chance to rest before Villanova takes on undefeated Pittsburgh and No. 20 Michigan next week.
With four minutes left in the first half, Simmons went down with a right ankle injury and left the game. He went to the locker room and returned to Villanova’s bench at the start of the second half with a boot on his right foot.
Willard had no comment on Simmons’ status.
Simmons, a St. Bonvanture transfer, started in Villanova’s season opener against Notre Dame, but has come off the bench in all three games since. He totaled three points and one assist in six minutes before exiting the contest.
Through four games, Simmons is averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 assists per game.
Up next
Villanova will go on the road for the first time since its trip to Rome. The Wildcats will take on Pitt (4-0) on Nov. 17 (7 p.m., ACC Network).
Villanova defeated Pitt, 79-61, at Finneran Pavilion last season in the first game of the home-and-home series. The all-time series is tied, 33-33.
