Villanova displayed a flair for the dramatic tonight in their first game of the NCAA Tournament played at the Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY. Sweeping Mount St. Mary’s 76-56, the Wildcats weathered through a sluggish first half to ultimately establish their dominant pace.
Mount St. Mary’s exerted peak defensive pressure early, resulting in a slow start for Villanova. So slow in fact that the Wildcats coasted to the near the 13 minute mark without a single point on the scoreboard. Guarding ‘Nova to shoot 0-for-8, the Mount showed a constant elasticity in their defense.
Donte DiVincenzo finally injected shooting life into the Wildcat offense, foreshadowing the major impact the redshirt freshman would continue throughout the game.