Sovereign Power: In Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena, #4 Villanova Busts Broncos, Crushes Rider, 86-57

Sovereign Power: In Trenton's Sovereign Bank Arena, #4 Villanova Busts Broncos, Crushes Rider, 86-57

by Craig Dimitri
cdimitri1@yahoo.com

On Wednesday night, Villanova completed its expected three-game warmup for the long-awaited, ESPN/Dick Vitale-presented, nationally televised confrontation with #5 Oklahoma on Saturday at the Pavilion. The Wildcats, ranked #4 in both polls, cruised to their third consecutive lopsided victory, crushing the Broncos of Rider, 86-57, at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ. Villanova (3-0) has now outscored its first three cupcake opponents by a combined score of 248-139. They have not scored fewer than 78 points or permitted more than 57.

Kyle Lowry scored a career-high 20 points, while Allan Ray had a game-high 21 points. Mike Nardi scored all 18 of his points on six triples on ten attempts, as 'Nova continued its torrid three-point pace. 'Nova ran out to a 33-13 lead in the early going, and never looked back. Rider fell to 1-3 on the season.

The chief oddity is that the two schools can't agree as to what precisely Villanova's advantage is in the all-time series. 'Nova claims that it has won 22 out of 23 against Rider (the teams play reasonably often, due to Rider's proximity in nearby Lawrenceville, NJ), in the series, which goes all the way back to 1937. Rider's only victory came on December 11, 1944, in one of the only four times the game wasn't at Jake Nevin or the Palestra, where they triumphed 48-32. (The other three times were tonight, in Trenton, and three trips to Rider). Tonight's victory was Villanova's 15th straight.

According to Rider, however, VU's commanding lead is now just 19-3, and that the 1944 victory actually took place in 1945.

Go Wildcats!