Villanova basketball finally kicked off its regular season tonight in the Wells Fargo Center, and the crowd was electric once again. While Villanova did not quite play up to expectations, the Wildcats still defeated the Columbia Lions by a final score of 75-60 to win their first game of the young season.
While Villanova got off to a 7-0 start in the first half, Columbia was able to hang tough all through the game. Leading the way for the Lions was sophomore guard Mike Smith, who finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.