Behind Bridges, Villanova cruises to 81-58 win against Alabama

PITTSBURGH—Villanova was locked in a taut struggle with Alabama for one half on Saturday, and then Mikal Bridges decided that he needed to make up for a mediocre performance in the first 20 minutes.

Bridges, who scored one point and missed all five of the shots he took from the field in the first half, put up 19 of the Wildcats' first 21 points in the opening 5 minutes, 31 seconds of the second half to help his team blow the game wide open.

Bridges finished with 23 points and helped the top-seeded Wildcats cruise into the Sweet 16 with an 81-58 second-round East Region victory over No. 9 Alabama at PPG Paints Arena.

Villanova (32-4), advancing to the round of 16 for only the second time in their run of six straight NCAA appearances, will play the winner of Sunday night's second-round game between No. 5 West Virginia and No. 13 Marshall. That regional semifinal will be held Friday night in Boston.

The Wildcats held a 32-27 lead at halftime but struggled throughout, shooting just 33.3 percent from the field. Donte DiVincenzo saved them with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting that included five 3-point baskets, but the rest of the team shot 3 of 17 including Bridges' 0 for 5.

But Bridges, considered an NBA lottery pick if he decides to come out for the draft in June, came out with more purpose in the second half. He hit a tough runner in the lane and then was fouled on a 3-point attempt, hitting all three of his free throws.

After Phil Booth scored on a dunk, he lobbed an alley-oop pass that Bridges threw down. The 6-foot-7 redshirt junior then knocked down four consecutive 3-point baskets to give Villanova a 53-31 lead with 14:29 left in the half.

Jalen Brunson then drilled a 3-ball to give the Wildcats a 56-31 lead at the 14-minute mark, ending an overwhelming 24-4 spurt in only six minutes. The Crimson Tide (20-16) missed their first six shots of the second half and committed three turnovers before finally hitting a field goal.

Villanova was never threatened after the early spurt. Its margin reached a game-high 31 points, 76-45, on two free throws by Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree with just over 4 minutes to play.

DiVincenzo finished with 18 points and Brunson 12 for the Wildcats, who shot 44.4 percent in the second half with 10 3-point baskets. Freshman Collin Sexton led Alabama with 17. The Crimson Tide were held to 36 percent shooting in the second half.

Villanova experienced early foul trouble. Omari Spellman, who scored the first five points of the game, left with 16:14 to play after picking up his second personal, although he did play an additional six minutes the rest of the period. Brunson went to the bench with his second personal at the 10:44 mark and ended the half with just four points and two assists.

The Wildcats also found Alabama's defensive interior all but impenetrable. Of their 27 first-half shots, only seven of them were launched from inside the 3-point arc. They went 7 of 20 from beyond the arc with DiVincenzo making five of nine in the first half.

The game was tied at 13 before DiVincenzo went to work. He knocked down three 3-point baskets in the span of four possessions and gave the Cats their largest lead of the half, 22-15, with 7:40 left to play. He scored his team's next basket at the 4-minute mark, restoring the seven-point margin at 26-19.

Villanova had just one field goal after that by DiVincenzo, who drilled another 3-ball on his team's last trip of the first half.