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Coming off a big win in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, the No. 12 Villanova Wildcats showed no signs of a hangover as they soundly defeated the Delaware Blue Hens 78-47.
I could tell you the game was close as some point, if you count the first five minutes as being close for the Blue Hens. 'Nova jumped out to an early 11-point lead halfway through the first half and never looked back.
One of the most pleasing aspects from this game is how balanced of an offensive effort it was from the 'Cats. Four players finished in double figures, with two more coming within a basket of double-digit scoring as well. No player over 15 points either, that of which came from Kris Jenkins off the bench.
Beyond Jenkins, the other three 'Cats who finished in double figures were Daniel Ochefu and Darrun Hilliard, with 12 a piece, and leading scorer Dylan Ennis with 10.
This balance only echoes what Villanova has done all season on offense, as no player averages over 13 points per game.
Beyond just the balance, the Wildcats finally seemed to find some sort of groove. Not only from the field, but from beyond the 3-point line as well. The 'Cats shot over 40 percent from long range, by far their most efficient performance of the season. Again, Jenkins was also very impressive from that range, going 4-for-8 from 3-point land, which for a 6-foot-6 forward is just unfair, assuming he can continue to shoot even close to that well from beyond the arc throughout the season.
On the defensive end, once again the opponent had no answer for the stingy 'Nova defense. The 'Cats forced 17 Delaware turnovers, and Jay Wright and Co. have now won the turnover battle in five of their six games this season, thanks in part to a Big East leading 9.8 steals per game. 'Nova also held the Blue Hens to only a 31 percent mark from the field, and the Wildcats did not let them solve their shooting problems at the free-throw line, only letting up seven on the game.
The Wildcats' next game shouldn't be too much of a challenge, as they travel to LaSalle to take on the 4-2 Explorers in their first Big 5 game of the 2014 regular season.