WKU Hilltopper Basketball led No. 5/3 Villanova for most of the first half Wednesday and built a six-point advantage at one point, but turnovers proved costly in the second half for the Hilltoppers in a 66-58 loss in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
The Wildcats (4-0) used a 25-10 run in the second half to turn a one-point lead into a 59-43 advantage and held off a late WKU push.
Villanova scored 23 points off 16 turnovers by WKU (2-2) and outscored the Hilltoppers 14-0 on fast-break points. The Wildcats shot 62.5 percent in the second half.
WKU’s lead reached 20-14 with 7:21 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by senior guard Darius Thompson, but Villanova finished the half on a 13-4 run to lead 27-24 at halftime.
Thompson paced WKU with 16 points and six assists in a full 40 minutes, while senior forward Dwight Coleby tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior forward Justin Johnson added eight points and eight rebounds, and freshman guards Taveion Hollingsworth and Jake Ohmer each chipped in nine points.
The Hilltoppers finished 7 of 11 from 3-point range, including four makes by Thompson.
Jalen Brunson paced Villanova with 18 points, while Mikal Bridges had 17 points, eight rebounds, five steals, three steals and three blocks.
The level of play doesn’t drop for WKU, which will face No. 18/16 Purdue at 6 p.m. CT Thursday in their second Atlantis game. The Hilltoppers haven’t faced back-to-back ranked opponents since the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, follow the team’s social media channels, @WKUBasketball on Twitter, @WKUBasketball on Instagram, and WKU Basketball on Facebook.
-@WKUSports-
Zach Greenwell
Associate Director
WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations
