CONWAY, S.C. – Eight consecutive points in the game's first 55 seconds from junior guard Collin Gillespie helped get Villanova off to a fast start Thursday, and the Wildcats (3-1 overall, 0-0 BIG EAST) went on to down Middle Tennessee State 90-69 here at the HTC Center in the opening game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
 
A pair of free throws by Gillespie on the game's initial possession opened the scoring. Then, two defensive stops led to consecutive 3-pointers from the native of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., to stake Villanova to an 8-0 lead before the contest was a minute old.
 
Not long after, the Wildcats held a 14-2 lead and the margin never dipped below double digits the rest of the day.
 
"Collin's had a real tough preseason, so to see him get off like that to start the game was important for our team," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Our whole team looks to him for his energy and they watched what he went through in the preseason, so I know they feel great for him."
 
Gillespie finished with 16 points and seven assists. Sophomore forward Cole Swider also played an essential role in the triumph, recording a new career high with 26 points to go with seven rebounds.
 
Stated Wright: "I'm most happy about Cole's seven rebounds, he's more than just a shooter."
 
The Wildcats converted 18-of-38 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc (.474) – one shy of the program high for a single game (19) achieved twice in 2017-18.
 
"I'm just trying to get back to game situations the best I can and I'm starting to come around and get used to it," said Gillespie of a span that saw him deal with plantar fasciitis and a broken nose that required surgery. "The preseason was tough for me, but I had my guys, everybody was working hard, so I think I'm getting back into it a little bit."
 
Villanova's defense fueled a lot of its early success, forcing five Blue Raiders turnovers in the game's first nine minutes on its way to a 24-8 lead. The Wildcats converted 9-of-14 from the field in that stretch and were credited with eight assists on those baskets. The only negative came when junior forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. was whistled for his second foul early in the half.
 
Swider heated up midway through the period, though, scoring eight consecutive points to help Villanova as MTSU began to get its offense untracked. The Wildcats held a 32-14 edge as the contest dipped below the eight-minute mark in the first half.
 
The Blue Raiders switch to a zone disrupted some of Villanova's offensive flow as the period neared an end. A 5-0 burst shaved the Wildcats' lead to 32-19. But 3-pointers from Gillespie and freshman Justin Moore (15 points, three assists, zero turnovers) helped get the offense rolling again and Swider helped Villanova end the half with a flourish. The sophomore dropped in a corner 3-pointer on the final possession of the period to give him 21 points in the half.
 
Villanova took a 53-28 lead with it into the locker room. It was 20-of-33 from the field (.606) and 11-of-21 from long range (.524). Donovan Sims led the Blue Raiders with nine points. The Wildcats enjoyed a 19-4 edge in points scored off turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
 
"They just got off to a great start," stated MTSU coach Nick McDevitt. "Gillespie opened things up early in the game and we were in a double-digit hole early in the game. Doing that against a team that's that good with quality players, you're going to have to play really well the rest of the way. They have elite size with great shooters and any short close-out or decent close-out results in 3 points."
 
An 11-4 surge to open the second half allowed Villanova to extend its margin to 64-32 five minutes into the period. A 9-0 run by the Blue Raiders narrowed the advantage to 67-43 with a little more than 11 minutes to play in the second half. Back to back 3-pointers – one from Swider and another from Samuels – pushed the Nova lead up to 73-43.
 
The wide margin allowed the Villanova coaching staff to work freshman Bryan Antoine into the rotation in his collegiate debut after offseason shoulder surgery. The Tinton Falls, N.J. product logged 19 minutes and contributed nine second half points, including a transition dunk for his first collegiate basket.
 
"We had the early lead, so we were able to get Bryan some good minutes," noted Wright.
 
Villanova advances to the semifinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational Friday afternoon against Mississippi State, an 80-66 victor over Tulane in the second game of the doubleheader here.

The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.