Overview
 
Playing without the nation's top rebounder, Duke Brennan, Villanova held off a pesky Old Dominion squad Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Guards Tyler Perkins (21 points), Acaden Lewis (20 points) and Bryce Lindsay (12 points) combined for 53 points in another explosive effort at the Finn. In four campus games thus far, Nova has averaged 91.0 points per game.
 
Duke Was Down
 
Brennan, averaging 14.4 rpg, was unavailable for this contest after suffering a right ankle sprain in the second half of last Wednesday night's 70-55 Big Five win at La Salle.
 
He was joined by senior guard Wade Chiddick (right knee injury). Malcolm Flaggs (strained right achilles) missed his sixth straight contest.
 
A Tight One Early
 
ODU scored the game's first six points before a 5-0 Wildcats' response that was highlighted by a Lindsay 3-pointer. Over the first 5:14 Nova connected on 2-of-10 field goal attempts against the Monarchs' 2-3 zone.
 
Devin Askew helped get the Wildcats some points midway through the period, scoring four points to help Villanova grab a 16-15 lead at the 9:40 mark of the first half.
 
Three's Began to Fall
 
The Wildcats sank 1-of-5 from beyond the arc over the first half of the period but began to warm up as the game unfolded. Lewis and Malachi Palmer dropped in deep shots to help stake Villanova to a 31-25 lead.
 
ODU, though, was even more proficient from deep, sinking 3-of-4 in one stretch to close the gap to 31-30 with 3:57 to play in the first half. The Monarchs tied the contest at 36 before the Wildcats scored the last four points of the half – two on a pretty drive by Lewis – to take a 40-36 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
Tafara Gapare stepped forward in Brennan's absence to contribute six points and five boards in the first half. Lewis paced Villanova with eight points in the period. Big Five Rookie of the Week Matt Hodge – whose father Odell was on the ODU bench as Special Assistant to the Head Coach – was limited to six first half minutes after being whistled for two fouls.
 
Robert Davis, Jr., led the Monarchs with 11 points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. ODU was 6-of-11 from distance in the first half while Villanova was 5-of-14 from that range (.357). ODU also converted 8-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
Second Act
 
Villanova executed a flawless play on its opening possession, freeing Lindsay for an open 3-pointer at the top of the key. That was followed by a defensive stop, a Lewis drive for two and a Lewis steal that led to a Perkins dunk. The Wildcats were up 47-36 at the 18:41 mark of the second half.
 
The 'Cats extended the lead by sinking 10-of-14 from the field to open the second half. Villanova held a 64-48 edge  but the Monarchs were able to keep scoring and used a 7-0 surge to narrow the deficit to 69-60 with 7:06 remaining in the period.
 
However, Perkins scored on the next possession and the Wildcats' margin never dipped below double figures again.
 
Hodge played a pivotal role in the second half. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 22:47. Following the game he was asked about being on the opposite side from his father.
 
"It meant a lot," Hodge said. "On the other (hand) it was another game. We had to get the win. It's been a long time since he's gotten to watch me play. I didn't play last year and he has a busy schedule as well. It was fun to have him there.
 
"It was straight business during the game. After the game, we embraced each other."
 
What They Said
 
Lewis: "Every game I think we're figuring out our role. We haven't had a full team for any game, so far. Tonight, we didn't have Duke. We're figuring it out game by game. As a point guard your role is to be kind of like a servant of the team. You do what needs to be done."
 
Head Coach Kevin Willard on playing smaller without Brennan: "That's something we're still not very good at because we just haven't had time to practice it. The more we practice it, the more comfortable we'll get with five guys out there who can shoot, pass and dribble.
 
"I think that was a little bit of the first half problems. We just haven't practiced that. When you haven't practiced something and go out there and try to do it, you usually don't do it well."
 
What Comes Next
 
The Wildcats' second outing in Big Five play is next on the Villanova docket. Temple (1-0 Big Five) will be at Finneran Pavilion on Monday, Dec. 1 for a 6:30 p.m. battle. The winner of that game advances to the championship round of the Big Five Classic, set for Saturday, Dec. 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.