Villanova beats Old Dominion despite first-half struggles, extends winning streak to five games

With Villanova without the nation’s leading rebounder, Duke Brennan, on Tuesday night, 7-footer Braden Pierce started in his place in the Wildcats’ 89-75 win over visiting Old Dominion.

The change forced Villanova coach Kevin Willard to play a small lineup more than he would have preferred.

“I mean, I think that’s something that we’re still not very good at,” Willard said. “Because we just haven’t had time to practice. I think the more we practice it, the more we will be comfortable with having five guys out there that can shoot, pass, and dribble.”

Brennan was sidelined with a right ankle sprain he suffered last week in a win over La Salle. The Grand Canyon transfer has averaged a double-double while leading the country with 14.4 rebounds per game.

With Pierce starting, Villanova (5-1) struggled to find a rhythm on either side of the court. Forward Tafara Gapare ended up getting more playing time off the bench, with 31 minutes to Pierce’s 12.

Brennan’s absence was noticeable early in the first half. Villanova gave up a few offensive boards that could have been hauled in.

Villanova tied a season-low with nine offensive rebounds but still won the battle on the boards, 34-29. Entering the game, Villanova had double-digit offensive boards in each of its games, including a season-high 22 against Queens University on Nov. 8.

» READ MORE: With Matt Hodge and Duke Brennan, Villanova’s versatility in the frontcourt is showing

Beyond the arc, Villanova allowed an Old Dominion team that averages 32.7% on three-pointers to shoot 47.8% (45.3 overall). How does Willard think Villanova should address that?

“Don’t schedule good shooting teams,” he said.

Villanova opened the game shooting a sloppy 1-for-7 on three-pointers but spun it around in the tail end of the first half and closed it with marks of 35.7% from beyond the arc and 45.2% from the field. Overall, the Wildcats shot 53.6% from the field, including 38.5% from deep.

Bryce Lindsay knocked down a three-pointer to open the second half. With the help of an Acaden Lewis steal, Tyler Perkins broke away on the next possession and finished it on the other end of the court, forcing a timeout by Old Dominion (3-5).

All told, the Wildcats opened the second half with a 15-3 run.

Perkins scored a season-high 21 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-4 on three-pointers.

“Tyler just gives us great energy,” Willard said. “I think that’s something that he’s still trying to figure out, a little bit of what he’s doing and what we need him to do. To start the second half, he gets two big steals, gets a layup, and a good pass. Tyler just gives us energy and some toughness. And I think he’s really starting to figure out, ‘How do I play in this system?’”

Midway through the second half, Willard motioned to forward Matt Hodge to set a pick for Perkins at the top left of the arc in front of Villanova’s bench.

Hodge set the pick. Perkins shifted left, then Hodge drove to the basket while hauling in the pass from Perkins and was met at the rim with a foul, stopping him from capping the pick-and-roll with a dunk.

“I feel like we moved the ball well,” Hodge said. “It allows me to be very versatile.”

» READ MORE: Villanova flashed its offensive potential with a record-breaking three-point barrage

Villanova dished out 16 assists and limited its turnovers to seven. It has been a successful early start for a squad with 13 new faces and a starting freshman point guard in Lewis. The team has had at least 15 assists in its last five games.

Lewis, who had 20 points, led Villanova with four assists. He is averaging 5.2 assists on the season.

“Well, he’s super talented,” Willard said. “If you look at college basketball this year, the freshman class is loaded. This is probably one of the best freshman classes, probably about five to 10 years. I mean, the draft can be loaded. He’s going to get better and better every game. He’s getting a little bit more comfortable.”

Villanova is on five-game winning streak. Next up is a Big 5 clash at home against Temple (4-2) on Monday (6:30 p.m., FS1). The winner claims a spot in the championship game of the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Villanova leads the all-time series, 51-43.