Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Overview
 
It was a record-setting night Tuesday for Villanova as it rolled past Sacred Heart 94-60 at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Sparked by the long-range shooting prowess of guards Bryce Lindsay and Devin Askew, who each had 27 points, the Wildcats established a new program record of 22 made 3's in a game. The nine triples Lindsay sank – including seven in the first half – set the individual record for 3's in a game.
 
The Wildcats at one point trailed the Pioneers 17-13 in the first half. With the 3's falling, Villanova finished the first half on a 35-13 run and never looked back the rest of the way.
 
Villanova finished the night with 28 assists on 34 field goals. Freshman Acaden Lewis contributed eight of those.
 
"I think our guys are getting more comfortable," said William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard following the game. "Dev missed a month and a half. When you've got shooters, you've got to let them shoot."
 
Added Askew: "It felt amazing just to get my legs back under me and provide for the team."
 
This marked the first time a BIG EAST team has had a player sink nine or more 3's in the same game as a teammate drained seven since 2011 (Notre Dame, Tim Abromitis and Ben Hansbrough). The 22 3-pointers were the most by a BIG EAST team since Creighton dropped in 22 in a game vs. Coe on Dec. 20, 2018.
 
Out of the Lineup
 
The Wildcats were without guards Malcolm Flaggs (strained right achilles) and Zion Stanford (left ankle sprain) for the third consecutive game. Senior Tafara Gapare was also unavailable due to a right foot injury (also kept him out of the exhibition game vs. VCU on Oct. 19).
 
Freshman guard Chris Jeffrey (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who sustained a right ankle sprain in practice Friday afternoon, was in uniform and available.
 
Points Flowed
 
Both teams were able to put points on the board in the opening minutes. Villanova held a 10-9 lead after 4:34 thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Lindsay. Sacred Heart drained 3-of-4 from distance – by three different Pioneers - over that opening stretch of action.
 
The Pioneers rode an 8-0 spurt that included another 3-pointer to grab a 17-13 lead over the Wildcats. Askew and Tyler Perkins sank long balls on VU's next two possessions to reclaim the lead at 19-17 near the midpoint of the first half.
 
Villanova never trailed again.
 
Devin Was Dealing
 
Askew missed most of September and October with a sprained knee. He started in the regular season opener against No. 8 BYU and then supplied five points and four boards off the bench in Saturday night's 94-74 win over Queens in the opener of the Villanova Challenge MTE.
 
The rust fell off in spectacular fashion on Tuesday night. Askew delivered instant energy and offense, draining his first five attempts from the field, including four from beyond the arc. The Sacramento native added two rebounds and a pair of assists for good measure.
 
Meanwhile, Lindsay stayed on his long-range heater.
 
With 3:43 to go in the first half, Nova held a 43-21 lead.
 
Halftime Numbers
 
The Wildcats posted some remarkable statistics over the first 20 minutes.
 
Villanova was 19-of-31 from the field (.631) and 13-of-23 from beyond the arc (.565). Lindsay dropped in 7-of-9 from deep for 21 points while Askew wasn't far off that pace, sinking 6-of-7 as part of his 17-point period. He
 
The Wildcats had 17 assists on those 19 field goals. Jeffrey had four helpers while Askew and Lindsay contributed three each.
 
More From Deep
 
The halftime break did not cool the 'Cats.
 
With Lindsay adding two more triples and Askew connecting again from distance, the Wildcats extended their margin over the course of the second half. When Lindsay sank his second of the period – and ninth of the game – he set a Villanova program record for most 3's in a contest, eclipsing the previous high of eight shared by Allan Ray, Darrun Hilliard and Kris Jenkins.
 
The team wasn't far behind him.
 
A little later in the half, Villanova sank its 20^th triple of the night and Jeffrey added a 21^st later. That established a new program record in a game, snapping the previous mark of 19 most recently set last season against Temple at the Big Five Classic.
 
What They Said
 
Lindsay: "I just want to thank my teammates for finding me. We had 28 assists and that's a team high for assists. I thank God we're getting that team chemistry down and understanding where and who takes the shots they want."
 
Willard: "Duke is great. He's a great roller, a great rebounder. He does so many good things for us but we're not a huge post up team. When you have guys who can fill it up and we start playing with good tempo passing the basketball – we had 17 assists at halftime on 19 field goals – it's pretty darn good early in the year."