MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Cole Swider scored a career-high 26 points with six 3-pointers, and No. 17 Villanova routed Middle Tennessee 98-69 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
Collin Gillespie added 16 points and hit four 3s, Justin Moore finished with 15 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 11 rebounds to help the Wildcats (3-1) win their second straight following a 25-point loss at No. 10 Ohio State.
Villanova never trailed, led by 35, shot 57% and finished with a season-best 18 3-pointers. Eleven of them came during a first-half barrage that pushed its lead well into the 20s. Swider hit his fifth 3 from the corner shortly before the buzzer to put the Wildcats up 53-28 at halftime.
Saddiq Bey then took the lead to 30 with a 3-pointer two minutes into the second half.
Donovan Sims scored 18 points and C.J. Jones had 16 for the Blue Raiders (3-2). Leading scorer Antonio Green, averaging 23.5 points going into the game, finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting while dealing with foul trouble.
BIG PICTURE
Villanova: The Wildcats are tough to beat during in-season holiday tournaments, winning six of them in a row, and that 3-point touch got them off to a strong start toward No. 7. Gillespie, in his second game without the mask that protected his broken nose, got plenty of clear looks at the basket.
Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders had no answer for Villanova’s long-range shooting and couldn’t really get their 1-2 punch of Green and Jones started. Jones averages 20 points, but by the time he reached double figures, Middle Tennessee was already trailing by 30.
UP NEXT
Villanova: Plays the Tulane-Mississippi State winner on Friday in one semifinal.
Middle Tennessee: Faces the Tulane-Mississippi State loser on Friday in a consolation game.