Duke Brennan scored 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting to guide Villanova to a 79-61 home victory over Pitt on Saturday.
Brennan also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists to help the Wildcats (8-2) bounce back nicely from an 89-61 pounding against No. 2 Michigan. Bryce Lindsay also contributed 24 points for Villanova, while Acaden Lewis chipped in with 11 points and seven assists.
Pitt (5-6) placed four players in double figures, led by Barry Dunning Jr.’s 17 points. Nojus Indrusaitis notched 14 points for the visitors, while Cameron Corhen added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Neither team led by more than four points until Villanova went ahead 17-12 on Christian Jeffrey’s 3-pointer. However, Pitt responded with a quick 7-0 burst – including five points by Indrusaitis – to jump ahead by a bucket.
The Panthers still held a small lead (28-24) when the Wildcats embarked on a 12-0 run. Devin Askew made a 3-pointer to begin the surge and Lindsay drained one shortly thereafter. Brennan scored the final four points of the run as Villanova took a 38-26 lead.
Pitt responded with the next four points, but Villanova answered with a 5-0 burst to end the half, as the hosts carried a 41-32 lead into the locker room.
Brennan led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the first half.
Lindsay immediately made a 3-pointer to put Villanova up by 12 early in the second half, but Pitt responded with eight straight points – all by Dunning – to get within 44-40.
The momentum shifted back towards the Wildcats, however, as Matt Hodge scored five points during a 9-0 burst.
Villanova maintained a double-digit lead for the bulk of the game’s duration. Pitt briefly got within 61-55 with 8:17 left before Askew’s layup sparked a 10-0 surge that essentially sealed the outcome.
The Wildcats led by as many as 19 points down the stretch in improving to 7-0 at home this season.
