DiVincenzo fires Villanova to NCAA title

LOS ANGELES – Agence France-Presse

Freshman Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench to score 31 points as Villanova University outclassed the University of Michigan Wolverines to claim the prestigious U.S. collegiate basketball crown on April 2.

Towering guard DiVincenzo dominated the Michigan defense with a devastating first half display as the top-seeded Wildcats cruised home for a 79-62 win at San Antonio’s Alamodome in Texas.

DiVincenzo’s 31 points were a record for a bench player in a championship game and earned him the award of Most Outstanding player for the 2018 Final Four.

Third NCAA title

DiVincenzo’s starring role sealed Villanova’s third national college basketball title, two years after the Pennsylvania college clinched its second crown in 2016.

“I didn’t think that I was going to have this kind of a night,” DiVincenzo said afterwards. “I just kind of found myself in a rhythm.”

Villanova coach Jay Wright said his team had saved their best performance for last.

“I really can’t get my mind around it. I never dreamed of this,” Wright told TBS television.

“We just took it one day at a time. We tried to get better every day, and I thought we played our best game in the championship game.”

Villanova was heavy favorite for April 2’s NCAA showpiece, the climax of the “March Madness” knockout competition that is one of the highlights of the U.S. sporting calendar.