PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Western Kentucky’s two main ball-handlers turned in markedly different performances Wednesday against No. 5 Villanova.

Graduate senior Darius Thompson was the Hilltoppers’ steadying influence throughout WKU’s Battle 4 Atlantis opener. The Virginia transfer played the entire 40 minutes in the Toppers’ 66-58 loss, and led the team with 16 points and six assists while making just a single turnover.

“I love him,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. “He’s a good player, man. He’s always under control.

“He scores, six assists, plays 40 minutes without really fouling and is still effective defensively. He’s a really good player. We played against him (Jan. 29 when Thompson was at Virginia). He’s good, man, he’s good.”

Redshirt junior Lamonte Bearden meanwhile had a game he’d like to forget. The former Buffalo transfer scored four points on just 2-of-11 shooting and, while he grabbed three steals, he also committed three turnovers without contributing a single assist.

“That’s as bad as I’ve seen him play in any practice or game we’ve had,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said.

Bearden and Thompson give Stansbury an intriguing duo at the point guard position, with both bringing different skills to the floor. Bearden, who transferred into the Hilltopper program before the fall of 2016 and Thompson, who joined WKU (2-2) this year as a grad transfer, are both in their first year on the team’s active roster.

Bearden’s game is built around driving the ball to the basket. The 6-foot-3 Milwaukee native has the quickest first step off the dribble of any WKU player.

The 6-foot-4 Thompson isn’t as quick to the basket as Bearden, but brings a veteran savvy and is the Tops’ best passer. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native is also an effective 3-point shooter.

Bearden came into the afternoon averaging 14.3 points per game this year with 10 turnovers against 13 assists, while Thompson had tallied 14 ppg and nine assists against 10 turnovers.

Thompson was at his best Wednesday, and his style was exactly what WKU needed against the Wildcats (4-0). He ran the team’s half-court offense effectively, finding Taveion Hollingsworth for a 3-pointer, Dwight Coleby for two layups, Justin Johnson for two more layups and Jake Ohmer for a 3.

Thompson recorded six assists while the rest of his teammates combined for just four.

Thompson committed just one turnover, which was caused when he slipped on a wet spot while making a second-half pass.

“He played great,” the freshman guard Hollingsworth said. “He’s experienced and he’s a good leader on the team.

“He knows what he’s doing and lets me know what I’m doing too much or what I need to do. He’s a great player, a great teammate.”

Thompson showed off his shooting abilities too, burying 4-of-6 3-pointers, including one that put the Hilltoppers up 20-14 with 7:22 left in the first half. That marked WKU’s biggest lead of the afternoon.

Thompson was a calming influence for a Topper squad that often had three freshmen out on the floor against the nation’s fifth-ranked team.

“Darius has been through it,” Stansbury said. “Like I said, I looked out there and there were three freshmen out there with Darius on several occasions tonight.”

Bearden never got going Wednesday. He hit his first shot, which gave WKU a 2-0 lead with 18:25 left in the first half. He scored just two points after that bucket, hitting one of his final 10 shot attempts.

More troubling for Stansbury was the fact that the guard – whose passing abilities he’s praised – didn’t tally a single assist. The offense stalled several times Wednesday afternoon with Bearden dribbling but unable to score or create shots for teammates.

Villanova forward Mikal Bridges, who finished with a game-high five steals, said the Wildcats tried to nullify the Tops’ penetration by collapsing on dribblers and surrounding them with defenders.

“We knew how they like to play, that they like to attack,” Bridges said. “We just played as a team, trying to work in triangles … and help each other out.”

Bearden never really adjusted to that, and Stansbury played him just 10 minutes in the second half after leaving him on the court 15 minutes in the first.

WKU’s coach said it was “very obvious” that the talented guard got sped up trying to do too much on his own Wednesday, and that he’ll have to play with more poise going forward.

“We need him to be better for sure and more efficient,” Stansbury said. “He can be. …

“He’s got to be able to learn from that and has to be able to hurt from it. I hope he is, because I think he understands enough as a player that we’re all disappointed that we lost, but there are a lot of things we as individuals added to that.”