Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Villanova 90, American 63
 
For Openers: The Wildcats featured a starting lineup with three familiar faces joined by a pair of transfers. Justin Moore, Eric Dixon and Mark Armstrong were alongside TJ Bamba and Tyler Burton for the opening tip.
 
One Significant Story: The Wildcats' deep roster figured to be a plus and that certainly was the case in the regular season opener Monday night. Eleven Wildcats saw action in the game's first 32:14 and 10 of those scored, including redshirt sophomore Nnanna Njoku (three points, to rebounds). Dixon and Burton (15 points each) led five Wildcats in double figures.
 
Breaking it Down: American sank 3-of-8 from beyond the arc over the first 9:30 of the contest to claim a 17-15 lead. Dixon (six points) and Jordan Longino (five points) carried the early scoring lead for Villanova.
 
A 7-0 spurt highlighted by a Lance Ware slam dunk pushed the Wildcats in front, 22-17 as the first half clock dipped below eight minutes. American clawed back to within 24-23 before Villanova reeled off an 11-0 spurt highlighted by defensive stops and offensive firepower from Dixon and TJ Bamba. The Wildcats held a 35-23 edge with 3:07 remaining in the first half.
 
Villanova took a 41-31 lead into the locker room at halftime. American remained within striking distance thanks to long distance accuracy (6-of-15) and second chance points (a 12-6 edge).
 
Triples by Bamba and Burton helped Villanova extend its lead to 51-33 after 4:05 of the second half. The Wildcats never looked back from there.
 
Highlight Reel: In one sequence in the second half, Bamba nearly forced a turnover, dived for a loose ball, watched it squirt away, saw Burton dive in a bid to claim it, only to see the Eagles break the other way on a 3-on-1. Moore blocked the shot and fed the ball down court quickly. Burton then dropped in a 3-pointer to put the 'Cats up 64-37 with a bit more than 12 minutes to play in the second half.
 
It's Worth Noting: After being hurt on the glass in the first half, the Wildcats went to work there in the second half. VU finished with a 41-31 edge on the backboards. Villanova also clamped down defensively, limiting the Eagles to 11-of-33 shooting (.333) over the final 20 minutes, including 3-of-15 from long range (.200).
 
What They Said: "We had a lot of guys contribute for us, which was a positive," stated second year Wildcats' head coach Kyle Neptune. "Our goal coming into this game was to play harder than American. Whatever happened from that, we would live with. I think our guys did a good job of that."
 
"We've been together for a few months now. We want to keep our guys fresh so that they can play as hard as they possibly can. It could be one guy's night one night, someone else's another. One night a guy might play a lot of minutes the next time less. We've got to be able to handle that as a team."
 
Tyler Burton on the series of dives that ended with his 3-pointer in the second half: "that's just playing Villanova Basketball. We go over it every day, watch it on film, talk about it. It's sacrificing yourself and earning honor with your teammates. I would just say that was a Villanova Basketball play."
 
Dixon on the influx of newcomers to the rotation: "We're lucky to have a group of guys who have come in wanting to learn our way and be a part of this. They are all high-level guys. They all had good careers at great programs. They have brought that level of pride into the program. They're just learning what we do."