Villanova Wins Bad Bow Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Title

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Getting to spend a week in Paradise is fun for every team that participates in the annual Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. But no team enjoys the trip quite like the Villanova Wildcats.

Villanova captured the tournament title for the third time in three appearances with a 79-63 victory over Memphis. The Wildcats (6-1) turned in a dominant first-half performance and built as much as a 35-point lead in the second before holding off a spirited Memphis comeback.

Villanova has now strung together nine consecutive victories in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. The Wildcats also won three games and the championship in both 2013 and 2017.

“This is a big-time tournament. It’s always extremely well done,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “It’s a good stomping ground for us.”

The Wildcats were doing some stomping early against Memphis (5-1). They sprinted out to a 16-2 lead less than six minutes into the game, and extended their advantage to 44-16 by halftime.

“We really came out and set the tone,” Neptune said. “I was proud of our guys, especially that first 10 minutes or so. We played extremely hard, really locked in. Every player gave it their all.”

Some of the first-half stats were astounding. Villanova held Memphis to 4-of-27 shooting (14.8 percent), including 1-of-12 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Wildcats connected on 8-of-19 of their 3-pointers (42.1 percent).

In addition, Villanova had 10 assists with two turnovers, compared to one assist and eight turnovers by the Tigers. And perhaps most tellingly, the Wildcats converted those mistakes into 14 points, while Memphis finished the first half with zero points off turnovers.

“That first half was definitely a nightmare,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. “We couldn’t make a shot, couldn’t get a rebound. We couldn’t do anything right. You could just see the team losing confidence by the second. We never changed momentum.”

It was more of the same to start the second half, and with only nine minutes remaining the lead had ballooned to 67-32. The Tigers then stunningly ripped off 21 consecutive points, yet still trailed by 14. The Wildcats finally subdued Memphis with a 10-3 run in the closing minutes.

“The true Memphis basketball was in that second half,” Hardaway said. “It definitely was good to see the guys fight to the end.”

Villanova’s five starters each scored between 13 and 11 points. Eric Dixon, who had a career-high 34 points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal win over North Carolina, finished with 11 points and three rebounds against Memphis and was named tournament MVP.

David Jones led the Tigers with 13 points – 11 in the second half – and seven boards.