Lindsay scores 18, Villanova downs Butler 85-67

Updated: Jan 3, 2026, 02:51 pm

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Bryce Lindsay scored 18 points as Villanova beat Butler 85-67 on Saturday.

Lindsay went 7 of 13 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Wildcats (12-2, 3-0 Big East Conference). Matthew Hodge scored 17 points while going 6 of 9 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and added five rebounds. Duke Brennan had 15 points and shot 6 of 7 from the field and 3 for 6 from the line.

The Bulldogs (10-5, 1-3) were led by Finley Bizjack, who posted 18 points and four assists. Michael Ajayi added 12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals for Butler. Drayton Jones also had nine points.

Brennan scored nine points in the first half and Villanova went into halftime trailing 33-30. Villanova pulled off the victory after a 17-2 second-half run erased an eight-point deficit and gave them the lead at 40-33 with 17:41 remaining in the half. Hodge scored 12 second-half points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.