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 victory over 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) had four players in double figures, led by Barry Dunning Jr.’s 17 points. Nojus Indrusaitis scored 14 points for the visitors, while Cameron Corhen added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Neither team led by more than four points until Villanova took a 17-12 lead on Christian Jeffrey’s 3-pointer. However, Pitt responded with a quick 7-0 run – including five points from Indrusaitis – to take a bucket lead.
The Panthers still held a small lead (28-24) when the Wildcats went on a 12-0 run. Devin Askew scored a 3-pointer to start the surge and Lindsay drained some shortly after. 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 responded with a 5-0 run to end the half, as the hosts led 41-32 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 give Villanova a 12-point lead early in the second half, but Pitt responded with eight straight points – all from Dunning – to pull within 44-40.
The momentum shifted back to the Wildcats, however, as Matt Hodge scored five points during a 9-0 burst.
Villanova held a double-digit lead for most of the game. Pitt briefly found itself within 61-55 with 8:17 left before Askew’s layup sparked a 10-0 spurt that essentially sealed the outcome.
The Wildcats led by as many as 19 down the stretch as they improved to 7-0 at home this season.
–Field level media
