Overview
Villanova got a major boost from guards Bryce Lindsay (25 points) and Acaden Lewis (21 points, four rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers) that helped fuel at 94-74 victory over Queens University of Charlotte in its regular season home opener Saturday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Duke Brennan added 17 points and 20 rebounds – a new career-high – in the effort.
 
The victory was the first for William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard in his Villanova tenure and the 336^th of his career. With the win he tied his father Ralph Willard, who amassed 336 wins in his head coaching career at Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Holy Cross.
 
An Addition to the Injured List
Guards Malcolm Flaggs (strained right achilles) and Zion Stanford (left ankle sprain) were again unavailable as they continue their recovery.
 
Also sidelined was freshman guard Chris Jeffrey (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who sustained a right ankle sprain in practice Friday afternoon.
 
Opening burst
 
The Wildcats sprinted out to an 11-3 lead, bolstered by three forced turnovers. Queens however, had an early answer. It sank four consecutive field goal attempts to narrow its deficit to 13-11.  The Royals were within 17-14 after a driving layup by Nasir Mann at the 11:52 mark.
 
The Royals sank 8-of-14 attempts from the field over the game's first 13 minutes.
 
Guard U
 
As they have so often in the past, Villanova got an offensive boost from its backcourt midway through the first half.
 
Sophomore Bryce Lindsay, who led the 'Cats with 22 points in the season opener vs. No. 8 BYU, scored from inside and out. His partner, freshman Acaden Lewis, was crafty, getting into the lane and finishing near the rim. The pair would help build Nova craft a 39-22 lead with just over six minutes left in the first half.
 
Lindsay connected on 6-of-9 field goal attempts over the first 20 minutes, including a driving layup on the final possession of the first half right before the halftime horn sounded. He finished with 17 first half points while Lewis added 13 points.
 
Villanova took a 51-37 lead into the locker room at the break. The Wildcats accomplished that with forward Matt Hodge – who scored eight early points – on the bench with two fouls. The native of Belgium was limited to seven minutes in the first period.
 
Sizzling Shots
 
Both teams were efficient from the field in the first half. Queens converted 13-of 23 from the field (.565), including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc (.375). Villanova, meanwhile, sank 21-of-36 (.583) from the field.
 
Nova enjoyed a 16-11 edge on the glass and a 17-10 edge in points scored off of turnovers.
 
The key to the Wildcats lead was its ability to create 10 Royals turnovers.
 
The World Turns
 
Villanova forced three turnovers on the first three offensive possessions for Queens in the first minute of the second half, adding four quick points to start the period. The Wildcats built a 61-44 advantage over the first 4:19 of the second half.
 
But when the Royals reached the half-court, they were able to score points, dropping in 7-of-12 over the first 10 minutes of the period to shave the gap to 69-59.
 
Hodge stepped forward with an offensive burst that included a pair of 3-pointers, to help extend the Villanova margin. The Wildcats outscored the Royals 43-37 in the second half on their way to the 94-74 victory.
 
What They Said

Willard: "Not having Chris Jeffrey and Zion hurt us today. When teams go small, Acaden and Bryce end up playing a whole lot of minutes. It's tough to put Duke out there on a guy who is a pick and pop 3-point shooter.
 
"You've got to give them a lot of credit. I thought they did a really good job of cutting and moving, keeping us spaced. We'll work on that."
 
On what was a 42-20 edge on the glass: "We talked about that a lot after last game, not being so dependent on shooting the three. We took way too many 3's in the first game. Duke just plays so hard. If you've never played against him, he's going to outwork you. That's what I love about him."
 
Lewis on bouncing back from the BYU loss: "I'm just grateful for the opportunity. My high school coach always used to say that basketball isn't like football. You get to play three or four days later. Coach Willard stuck with me. He knows I'm a freshman. I had a rough first game. I stayed with it, watched film and was just happy to get back out there with my guys."
 
Brennan: "My focus is just setting a tone for the team. Me being a senior and a seasoned vet, I've got to set a tone physically. I know I had 20, a new career high today and I'm proud of that. It's a mindset I try to bring every day to go out there and get boards to help my team any way I can."