Encouraged by first look, Villanova turns to Queens for home opener

Villanova was left to wonder what might have been after an upset bid against BYU fell short Monday night.

Queens University understands what to expect if it doesn't play a full 40 minutes on Saturday night, when the Royals visit Villanova in the Wildcats' home opener.

Villanova (0-1) has been off since the season-opening 71-66 loss to No. 8 BYU in Las Vegas. Host Queens (1-1) overcame a slow start Wednesday to beat Division III Lynchburg, 87-76.

Villanova, which was picked to finish seventh in the Big East under first-year head coach Kevin Willard, got just 28 points Monday from its starters -- including eight points from junior guard Tyler Perkins, the lone returnee from last season's team.

But sophomore Bryce Lindsay, a transfer from James Madison, and freshman Chris Jeffrey combined for 33 points off the bench as Villanova flirted with a signature win. Lindsay scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and drained a pair of go-ahead 3-pointers for the Wildcats, who trailed by as many as 14 points.

BYU, led by potential No. 1 NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa, ended the game on a 14-7 run. But the defeat provided encouragement for Villanova, which is slated to play its next six games in the Philadelphia area.

"That was a road game," Willard said. "To kind of have your first game with 13 new guys and for them to show the fight to find a way to get some stops -- yeah, definitely (encouraging)."

Queens, which was picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in its fourth season of Division I play, appeared in danger of suffering a stunning defeat when Lynchburg took a 36-33 lead at the half.

But graduate student Chris Ashby scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the second half for the Royals, who shot 53.3% over the final 20 minutes while limiting Lynchburg to 30.3% shooting.

The scare came at an opportune time for Queens, which is scheduled to play seven of its final 11 nonconference games on the road, including five visits to Power 5 schools.

"Hopefully we learn that lesson fast, because it gets real quick," Queens head coach Grant Leonard said. "If we want this season to go the way we want, we're going to learn these lessons now and not in the conference season."

--Field Level Media