College Basketball Roundup: Villanova, Saint Joseph's, La Salle Victorious; Temple and George Mason Face Tough Losses
Villanova secured an 82-73 victory over Butler, with Acaden Lewis leading the Wildcats with 20 points. Bryce Lindsay contributed 19 points, while Devin Askew added 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Duke Brennan chipped in with eight points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Michael Ajayi led Butler with 17 points and nine rebounds, followed by Yohan Traore with 15 points and Finley Bizjack with 12 points. Villanova took the lead early in the first half and maintained it throughout the game, with Lewis and Askew leading the scoring efforts.
In another game, Saint Joseph's defeated George Mason 81-63, with Derek Simpson leading the Hawks with 23 points, eight assists, and three steals. Jaiden Glover added 21 points, and Dasear Haskins contributed 12 points. Riley Allenspach led George Mason with 23 points. Saint Joseph's took the lead early in the first half and extended it to a 44-25 advantage at halftime, with Simpson leading the scoring charge.
La Salle secured a 71-54 victory over VCU, with Aryss Macktoon scoring a career-high 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kiera Williams added 13 points, while Ivona Milianic and Ashleigh Connor each scored eight points. Joan Quinn contributed eight points as well. La Salle matched their highest win total since the 2022-23 season with this victory.
On the other hand, George Mason defeated Saint Joseph's 85-59, despite Faith Stinson scoring 15 points for the Hawks. Aleah Snead and Gabby Casey each tallied nine points in the game. George Mason's Zahirah Walton led all scorers with 29 points. Temple faced a 77-66 loss to Rice, with Kaylah Turner scoring 22 points and Jalessa Molina adding 17 points and 11 rebounds for Temple. Rice remained undefeated in the conference with a 15-0 record, ending Temple's two-game winning streak.