City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Villanova used a strong defensive effort to continue its unbeaten start to the season, advancing to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off with a 59-45 win over Stanford at the Barclays Center on Thanksgiving afternoon.

At First…
Neither team could get it going from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, which ended with ‘Nova leading 30-23 despite shooting 32.3 percent (10-of-31) overall; Stanford (6-of-30, 20.0 percent) was even worse despite a noticeable size advantage inside.

The Villanova defense locked up to begin the second half, forcing five turnovers while Stanford missed its first eight shots out of the break; the lead reached 16 before a Marcus Sheffield 3-pointer with 13 minutes remaining. That started a slow climb back for Stanford, who closed to within seven with under nine minutes left.

Turning Point…
The deficit was still at seven with 5:36 remaining when Reid Travis was whistled for a one-shot technical for hanging on the rim. Jalen Brunson's foul shot and a Ryan Arcidiacono 3-pointer expanded Villanova's lead back up to double digits and Stanford wouldn't threaten again.

Standout Stars…
Brunson, Villanova's highly-regarded freshman point guard, had his best game to date in his young college career, leading all scorers with 18 points. Josh Hart was the only other Wildcat in double figures, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Mikal Bridges had seven points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals off the bench.

Noteworthy Numbers…
Stanford finished the game shooting 13-of-50 (26.0 percent) from the floor, while Villanova was 19-of-62 (30.6 percent).

The Cardinal dominated the rebounding battle, 55-35, including a 20-12 advantage on the offensive glass. Villanova helped make some of that deficit back by forcing 23 turnovers while coughing it up just six times.

This is the third consecutive season that Villanova has started off 5-0; each of the last two years they won at least their first 11 games, including a 13-0 start last year.

Up Next…
Villanova (5-0) vs. Georgia Tech (4-1) (Nov. 27, 3:00 PM)
Stanford (2-3) vs. Arkansas (2-2) (Nov. 27, 12:30 PM)