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Ennis and Villanova down Lehigh

Nov 15, 2014 - 1:32 PM Allentown, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dylan Ennis scored 19 points and dished out five assists, as 12th-ranked Villanova pulled away late in the second half for a 77-66 victory against Lehigh in the season opener for both teams.

The game took place at the PPL Center, the home of the American Hockey League's Philadelphia Phantoms. This was the first college basketball contest played at the arena, which opened in September.

This marked sort of a homecoming game for Villanova senior guard Darrun Hilliard, who starred at Bethlehem's Liberty High School. He had 10 points for the Wildcats, who lost to eventual champion Connecticut in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ryan Arcidiacono had 16 points, seven boards and five helpers for Villanova (1-0), while JayVaughn Pinkston ended with 11 points and seven boards.

The Mountain Hawks (0-1), who finished 14-18 last season, were led by Austin Price's 24 points. Tim Kempton had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Lehigh led by as many as six points in the first half before Villanova rallied and scored 10 in a row for a 32-28 edge following a layup from Arcidiacono with 1:32 remaining. Kempton responded with a jumper to cap the half's scoring.

The Mountain Hawks continued to stay aggressive in the second half, and Miles Simelton's 3-pointer gave them a 46-40 lead with 15:14 remaining.

Villanova bounced back and Daniel Ochefu's jumper gave them the lead for good at 52-50 with 10:48 to go. A 3-pointer from Ennis widened the gap to 62-53, and Lehigh never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Lehigh shot 54.9 percent from the field to just 38 percent for Villanova ... The Wildcats were 8-of-33 from 3-point range ... Lehigh had 23 turnovers, leading to 31 points for the Wildcats.