Villanova again had trouble beating a mid-major program in its season opener. It probably won't have such a hard time in its next game.
The sixth-ranked Wildcats host the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Tuesday when they take on Marist, which tied for the worst record in Division I last season.
Villanova opened the 2010-11 season with a 68-52 win over Bucknell on Friday. The Wildcats had a strong defensive effort in the first half by holding the Bison to 16 points, but they allowed 36 in the second half and had to fend off pesky Bucknell.
"Mid-major teams did give us trouble last year," coach Jay Wright told Villanova's official website. "We really should have lost to George Mason early and then we had trouble in the NCAA tournament against Robert Morris and St. Mary's.
"Small lineups hurt us at times. I think we're ahead of where we were at any point defensively last season."
In their first game without departed All-American Scottie Reynolds, the Wildcats got a boost from Corey Fisher. The senior guard tied a career high with 24 points, delivering big baskets late, while shooting 8 of 16 from the field - 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
"I think Fish in the second half, offensively when he started getting us going gave me a little reminder of Scottie," Wright said. "I think the team just needed to see him do what he did tonight and then get confidence. That's not there yet, but I think it was a start tonight for Fish."
Sophomore guard Maalik Wayns added 15 points and six assists, and senior guard Corey Stokes scored 11 while hitting three 3s to help Villanova win its 38th straight at the Pavilion.
Fisher, though, would like to see the Wildcats improve after they turned the ball over 12 times and held just a 54-46 lead with 6:10 left.
"It's the first game, we're going to make mistakes," Fisher said. "We've still got a lot of room."
Villanova played without freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston after he was charged last week with two counts of simple assault and harassment. He will be held out of games until the university's review is completed.
The Wildcats probably won't need Pinkston against Marist, playing its first game after going 1-29 last season in its second year under coach Chuck Martin.
The Red Foxes posted their lone win over Manhattan on Jan. 2 and ended the season on an 18-game losing streak - currently the longest in Division I.
They are a young team, with 10 of the 13 scholarship players being underclassmen. Marist returns four starters, led by sophomore guard Candon Rusin, who averaged a team-best 9.5 points in 2009-10.
The Red Foxes were picked to finish last in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
"We're playing with a chip on our shoulders this year," fifth-year senior guard Dejuan Goodwin told the school's official website. "We've got a lot to prove. We've got to prove the league wrong and we've got to prove a lot of people wrong."
Villanova has won all four meetings with Marist, posting an 80-59 victory in the last matchup Nov. 30, 1994.
