Acaden Lewis recorded 20 points and Devin Askew scored all 16 of his points in the second half as Villanova topped visiting Butler 82-73 on Wednesday.
Bryce Lindsay contributed 19 points to help Villanova (22-6, 13-4 Big East) bounce back from a 10-point loss to No. 5 UConn over the weekend. The Wildcats, who still have not lost back-to-back games this season, also received 11 points and three steals from Tyler Perkins.
Michael Ajayi registered 17 points and nine rebounds, and Yohan Traore chipped in with 15 points for Butler (15-14, 6-12), which had won its previous two games. The Bulldogs have lost five straight matchups with the Wildcats, including both this season.
Butler trailed by 14 points at intermission before halving its deficit with a quick 7-0 run to begin the second half. Villanova rebuilt a double-digit advantage, but the Bulldogs eventually got within 55-54 with nine minutes left.
Shortly thereafter, the Wildcats used an 8-0 push to turn a 59-57 lead into a 10-point cushion. Askew accounted for all the offense during that surge with two 3-pointers, bookended around a driving layup.
Finley Bizjack’s layup with 2:27 left brought the visitors within 71-65. However, Askew drained a 3-pointer on the other end to halt the Bulldogs’ momentum.
Villanova led 27-24 late in the first half before closing the session on a 15-4 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes.
Lewis began the key push with a jumper before Perkins made one of his own. After a turnover by Butler, Lewis scored another bucket to make it 33-24.
Traore responded with a putback, but the Wildcats countered with six straight points — all by Lindsay. The sophomore guard converted a three-point play to give the hosts their first double-digit lead before knocking down a 3-pointer on the next trip to make it 39-26.
Perkins’ 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer sent the Wildcats into the locker room with a 14-point cushion.
Lewis led all scorers with 14 points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
