The Wildcats looked sloppy, at times, without Eric Dixon, but they pulled away in the second half to defeat Lafayette.
The Villanova Wildcats entered their season-opening game against visiting Lafayette shorthanded, missing rotational players, including Jordann Dumont (hip injury recovery) and Matt Hodge (eligibility issues). However, the most notable absence was that of Eric Dixon, the team’s leader both on and off the floor, who was serving a one-game suspension for his participation in the Portsmouth Invitational.
Despite a sloppy showing, the Wildcats were able to persist, and top the Leopards, 75-63, on Monday night.
Preparing for a game without one of the best players in the country was always going to be a tough task, but Kyle Neptune had his squad prepared Monday night.
“These guys knew he was going to be out. We didn’t even address it. We just knew other guys were going to have to step up, it’s a part of basketball. We’ve got a lot of confidence in the rest of our guys” said Kyle Neptune.
The first half featured nine lead changes, nine Villanova turnovers and nine made baskets (out of 21) from inside the arc for the Wildcats. Luckily for Villanova, Lafayette did not take full advantage of the gifts that they were given, only cashing in on five points off turnovers in the first half.
One of the bright spots in the first half was Villanova’s team rebounding. The Wildcats only allowed two second chance points and two total offensive rebounds. Enoch Boakye paced the Wildcats in that department early, logging four first half rebounds and adding two blocks to boot.
“Enoch has been really good for us.” said Neptune. “From the second he has come on campus his attitude has been amazing. He’s a leader. He is a guy that is a great teammate, and he really doesn’t care what he has to do out there. He is such an unselfish guy, he sets screens, he rolls, he rebounds, he talks, and he is a guy that is going to continue to get better as the season goes on as well” Neptune added.
Eric Dixon is unequivocally the heart and soul of this basketball team, and without him, Villanova naturally struggled. The struggles were very evident in the beginning of the second half, as Villanova opened the frame with three turnovers in the first four minutes. Villanova’s total turnovers grew to 14 with 12 minutes to go, but in a sudden change of pace, the Wildcats only committed three down the stretch.
“I thought our guys just settled down. After you see a team for a while, you remember this is their first game, so you don’t know how teams are going to play. … I give our guys a lot of credit, we adjusted well, we calmed down a little bit, we were a little more under control and we stopped turning the ball over as much as we did in the first half.” said Neptune.
The turning point in this game came with about fourteen minutes to go in the second half, when a Wooga Poplar jumper gave Villanova a 39-37 lead. From there, Villanova would use a 13-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to propel them to victory.
Kyle Neptune had high praise for Poplar in his Wildcat debut.
“Wooga Poplar is, arguably, one of the best shooters we’ve had here, when you look at his numbers and see what he’s done so far with us. Arguably one of the best athletes we’ve had here, great teammate as well” exclaimed Neptune.
Poplar not only earned praise from his head coach, but from his peers as well.
“I thought he was great. It goes to show you the type of player he is, it’s great to have someone like that on our team” said Tyler Perkins.
Despite the sloppy play early from Villanova, there were a couple of bright spots to take from the season opener.
First, Wooga Poplar is an NBA player running two guard for the Wildcats on the Main Line. Without Dixon, Villanova needed a vet to step up, and from start to finish, Poplar was the straw that stirred the Wildcats’ drink. The Philadelphia native finished with 20 points, ten rebounds and three steals.
Poplar showed out in front of 10-15 family members in attendance, and drew comparisons to his days playing locally at Mathematics Civics & Sciences.
“Obviously, you all know where I’m from, and at MCS, we had the same colors. So, everyone says, ‘Oh, he’s back in that same blue.’ It’s a great experience, and I’m excited to be here,” said Poplar.
Enoch Boakye was another bright spot on the day for the Wildcats finishing with ten points, eleven rebounds and two thunderous slams in his Villanova debut. Last year, the Wildcats were devoid of a paint presence and it sure looks like Boakye is ready for the challenge finishing with four offensive rebounds and two blocks.
“Enoch’s got a lot of college experience, so we’ve got a lot of contributors and guys who have done it at a big time level, and now it is just a matter of us putting it all together and continuing to play hard and get better” said Neptune.
The last standout performance was another transfer, Tyler Perkins. Perkins finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, and looks to play valuable minutes for the Wildcats all season long.
Perkins, a Penn transfer, got to see what the other side of Philadelphia basketball looked like, and was amazed at getting to play in front of the Villanova faithful for the first time.
“It’s amazing. It shows you how good of a place this is, and I am just glad to be here and ready to get to work” said Perkins.
Freshman Josiah Moseley finished with ten points and did not miss a shot from the field, while playing superb defense in his Villanova debut.
“I thought for a freshman to come out and understand the game plan and be able to execute it is something that has kind of been his calling card. He is a guy that, with all his talent and ability—at 6’6” / 6’7”, a high-level athlete, can finish at the rim, can shoot the ball, can make passes, and make reads at a high level. I think something that gives freshmen issues, just concept-wise, is where you are supposed to be defensively, and I think he did that. I think he had some key, timely finishes around the rim, a key putback, and some stops as well. So, it was a big-time performance from him,” said a proud Kyle Neptune.
Justin Vander Baan paced the Leopards with 16 points, while Devin Hines chipped in a healthy 12 points and three rebounds.
In a game without Eric Dixon, Villanova naturally did not look sharp, which was to be expected. The good news however, was that Villanova secured a win in his absence, and looked to get better as the game went on.
“We are all committed to doing what we are supposed to do, and I feel like it will work” said Poplar.
The Wildcats will look to build on this performance on short rest when they welcome Colombia to the Finneran Pavilion in less than 48 hours.