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Wildcats regroup after slow start

BUFFALO - For 20 minutes, Villanova looked ordinary, vulnerable, may be even a little scared.

The Wildcats finished like champions.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 points and the NCAA Tournament’s top seed shook off a shocking start and stumbled forward in the East Regional on Thursday night with a 76-56 victory over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s.

Leading by just one at halftime, the Wildcats (32-3) opened the second half with a 21-6 run and took their first step toward defending their championship.

Villanova is trying to be the first back-to-back titlist since Florida in 2007, and the Wildcats will have to play better to make history.

“I’m not annoyed,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “I really am shocked, not how Mount St. Mary’s played, but that we didn’t start the game with energy. We don’t have time to figure it out.”

Since the NCAA went to seeding in 1985, No. 1 seeds are 130-0 against No. 16s. The historic upset remains elusive, but for a while it looked like it could happen inside KeyBank Center.

Freshman Miles Wilson scored 22 points as the Mountaineers (20-16), who edged New Orleans in a First Four matchup Tuesday, gave the Wildcats all they could handle in the first half.

“I was thinking we could get the win,” Mount St. Mary’s Elijah Long said.

But the Big East champions, who entered this tourney with more wins than any past champion, regrouped at halftime and moved on.

It wasn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be.

“They outplayed us,” Wright said.

“At the end, we had more size and some more talented players who made plays. They deserve a lot of credit.”

Jalen Brunson scored 14 points for Villanova, which survived a horrendous shooting night by senior Kris Jenkins. The hero of last year’s NCAA title game missed his first 10 shots and finished just 2 of 13.