Villanova still has work to do on defense, Kevin Willard says

Villanova has found a rhythm on the offensive end, but defensively, coach Kevin Willard is far from satisfied after an 87-77 victory over Duquesne on Saturday.

“I think we’re doing a lot of good things offensively,” Willard said. “We are sharing the basketball. We’re just really struggling defensively. So I think if we could ever get our defense to be good with what our offense is doing, that would be a good thing for us.”

Villanova (3-1) allowed visiting Duquesne (3-1) to shoot 47.3% from the field and a season-best 52.2% from beyond the arc. Duquesne entered the game making 27% of its three-point shots.

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

“[We] can’t give up 77 points and 50% shooting at home,” Willard said. “There’s nothing good on defense right now.”

“I feel like we’ve got to communicate better [on defense],” said forward Matt Hodge, who finished with 15 points. “There will be times where, including me, I don’t talk quick enough, and guys can’t react quick enough. So we have to communicate way better.”

Duke Brennan had 13 rebounds as the Wildcats won the battle of the boards, 41-29, but that was not sufficient for Willard. “The fact that [Duquesne] got 12 offensive rebounds and shot 52% is pathetic,” the coach said.

Bryce Lindsay scored 18 points against Duquesne and leads the Big East Conference in scoring, averaging 23 points. He is shooting a team-high 50% from beyond the arc.

Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis had eight assists against Sacred Heart last week and added a team-high six assists on Saturday. Lewis led the Wildcats with 19 points.

The teams combined for 45 fouls and Villanova earned its double bonus with eight minutes left to go in a first half that took almost an hour and 15 minutes. The Wildcats finished the game shooting 25-for-33 (76%) from the free-throw line. The 33 foul shots were the most by Villanova in a non-overtime game since the 2017-18 season.

Guard Zion Stanford, a transfer from Temple, made his season debut after recovering from a left ankle sprain, playing three minutes.

“[I] just wanted to get his feet wet,” Willard said. “Sometimes, coming back, you’re a little timid. I thought he looked really good. So that’s encouraging.”

Injuries have limited Villanova, which was unable to play five-on-five scout teams in practice because of a lack of available players.

The team is trending healthy at the right time as it approaches tough nonconference matchups in early December. Villanova is set to face two ranked teams: No. 6 Michigan and No. 24 Wisconsin.

Forward Tafara Gapare missed a second consecutive game with a foot injury.

Villanova will visit La Salle (2-2) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CBSSN) in its first Big 5 game of the season.