It was closer than most would have liked to see, but behind strong performances from Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek and Mouphtaou Yarou, the elders of the Villanova Wildcats carried the team to a win over the Delaware Blue Hens by the score of 79-69.
Mouph had one of the strongest first halves of his career, finishing the half with 15 points (he finished with 19 points & 5 rebounds), many of which came on a Dante Cunningham-esque mid-range jumper that had Delaware mightily confused.
The 'Cats took a 38-24 lead into the half and had this one looking all but sewn up. But it was a different story in the 2nd half.
More after The Jump.
In the second half, it was Cheek and Wayns' turn to step their game up and carry the Wildcats to victory. With Devon Saddler hitting everything he put up (he finished with 27 points) and freshman Kyle Anderson leading a 3-point barrage, Delaware closed to within 5 at several different points.
While it was never really a worry that Villanova would win, it was a little discouraging to see Villanova pass up the opportunity to put this game to bed after a strong first half.
But a lot can be said for the performances of Cheek and Wayns, who both finished with 21 points, to lead the team to victory in an ugly situation. The team as a whole continued their strong FT record to start the season, going 17-22 with Wayns and Cheek drilling theirs to close out the win.
What are everyone's thoughts on the game?