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No. 5 Villanova aims to continue ascent vs. W. Kentucky (Nov 22, 2017)
Villanova has won handily over Columbia, Nicholls State and Lafayette in its first three games.
The fifth-ranked Wildcats may have found an emerging star as well.
Forward Mikal Bridges produced back-to-back career highs in scoring with 23 points against Nicholls State and a 24-point outburst on 6-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc in a 104-57 rout of Lafayette on Friday night.
Bridges will look to lead Villanova (3-0) once again when it heads to the Bahamas to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Wildcats play Western Kentucky in the opener Wednesday.
"Mikal has never lacked confidence but he has always played a complementary role and he's fine with that," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I think he's confident that it's his time to be a leader on this team and be an aggressive player."
Bridges has been able to work free and find open shots. More importantly, he's knocking them down at a torrid pace.
"My teammates are finding me and being at the right spot on the court," Bridges said. "I try to stay low and on the right side, so when I'm feeling good I try take that into the game. We look for each other out there and score points."
Point guard Jalen Brunson, who is the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, has developed quite a rapport with Bridges through the first three games.
"It's fun to be at that position all (the) time whether shots are flying or not," Brunson said. "I love playing with these guys and for this program. It's something I wanted to be a part of and something I will cherish."
Villanova will be facing the Hilltoppers for just the second time in school history. Villanova defeated Western Kentucky 92-89 in the Final Four back in 1970-71 in a double-overtime thriller.
The Hilltoppers improved to 2-1 on Sunday with a 100-86 victory over Nicholls State.
Six players scored in double figures, led by guard Taveion Hollingsworth with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Senior forward Dwight Coleby produced his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots.
In addition, senior forward Justin Johnson registered his 26th career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Jake Ohmer also had 14 points, Darius Thompson 13 and Marek Nelson 10.
Coach Rick Stansbury said that he was upset with his team giving away a 30-point lead at intermission with a disjointed second half.
"You're up 30 at halftime," Stansbury told the Bowling Green (Ky.) Daily News. "So at that point, that was good. The bad is you've got to play two halves. We didn't put two halves together."
"The second half, the way we came out, we should've come out with more energy like the way we started the game," Hollingsworth also told the Daily News. "It is kind of hard to keep playing the way you did when you're up by that much because no one's really into it as much. But it's a mental thing and we've got to keep playing like we were."
