Overview
Villanova staged a spirited second half rally to claim the lead over No. 8 BYU but ultimately fell short of the upset, dropping a 71-66 decision to the Cougars.
 
"We did some really good things defensively in the second half," stated Villanova head coach Kevin Willard. "Obviously offensively – and it happened at Virginia – we're taking some bad shots and some early shots.
 
"That was a road game. To have your first game with 13 new guys finding their way to get some stops, it's definitely something to build on."
 
Back At It
The Wildcats welcomed back two of the four players who were sidelined for the final exhibition game at Virginia on Oct. 24. Graduate transfer Devin Askew was in the starting lineup after an absence that began when he sprained his knee in early September. Sophomore transfer Bryce Lindsay also was available for duty after missing the game in Charlottesville.
 
Lindsay spelled Askew as the first reserve called on by head coach Kevin Willard.
 
"Devin hadn't played in a game in six weeks and he looked rusty," said Willard of the Long Beach State transfer who logged 12:31. "That's probably my fault for putting him in that spot."
 
Lindsay scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half to help lead the charge that put Villanova in front.
 
Still nursing injuries and unavailable were guards Zion Stanford (ankle sprain) and Malcolm Flaggs (strained right achilles).
 
Loud house
 
A near capacity crowd filled T-Mobile Arena and it included a strong contingent representing Brigham Young. Although officially a neutral court contest, the vibe for Villanova felt very much like a hostile road environment.
 
The Cougars sank their first four field goal attempts to craft an 8-4 lead, but a Malachi Palmer 3-pointer tied the game at eight with 15:57 on the first half clock.
 
Cougars' standout freshman AJ Dybantsa began to assert himself, keying an 8-0 spurt that pushed BYU out to a 16-8 lead with 12:06 to play. Meanwhile, the BYU defense stymied Nova, which missed seven straight field goal attempts during a drought that lasted 4:21 leading into the break.
 
Lindsay's corner 3-pointer broke the spell, but BYU answered with a triple of its own to take a 19-11 lead as the game approached the midpoint of the first half. BYU used its speed in transition to expand the advantage to 26-15 with 7:39 to play in the first period.
 
Villanova's defense and five points from freshman guard Chris Jeffrey helped narrow the gap to 35-29. But BYU reeled off four straight points at the free throw line and it was a 39-29 score with 44 seconds until halftime. Acaden Lewis then sank the first 3-pointer of his college career but Kennard Davis Jr. answered with a corner 3-ball just before the horn off a feed from Dybantsa to give the Cougars a 42-32 cushion at intermission.
 
The Wildcats were 12-of-35 from the field over the first 20 minutes (.343), including 5-of-19 (.263) from long distance.
 
Holding Their Own
The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with BYU on the glass over the first 20 minutes. The Cougars held a 24-23 edge in that department.
 
Leading the way for Villanova was senior forward Duke Brennan, who collected seven caroms in the first half to go with four points.
 
Second Act
 
BYU scored the first four points of the second half to build its largest lead of the evening, 46-32. But Villanova responded with a 16-5 burst, capped by a Tyler Perkins 3-pointer to shave the deficit to 51-48 with 11:34 on the second half clock. Lindsay helped ignite the run with six points in the stretch.
 
A Matt Hodge layup off an inbounds play made it a 51-50 BYU lead. Robert Wright III scored on a drive to push the edge to 53-50 as the game clock dipped below 10 minutes. Lindsay then sank a step-back 3-ball to knot the game at 53.
 
When Lindsay drained another 3-pointer off a feed after an offensive rebound, Villanova led 56-55. A Richie Saunders' drive to the goal gave the Cougars the lead back at 57-56.
 
BYU, however, closed the game on a 16-9 run to put the finishing touches on the win.