National Basketball Association
Villanova 88, St. Joseph's 57
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials:
# Pat Driscoll, # Mark Potter, # Michael Stephens
Attendance:
6500
By The Sports Xchange
VILLANOVA, Pa.-- When the next Top 25 poll is released, the Villanova Wildcats could very well move up to the No. 1 overall position.
No. 2-ranked Villanova thumped Big 5 rival Saint Joseph's, 88-57, while current No. 1-ranked Kentucky fell 97-92 to No. 11 UCLA on Saturday.
Kris Jenkins scored 20 points and Josh Hart registered an impressive triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Villanova cruised to the victory in what is annually known as the "Holy War" on Saturday.
"Whatever happens, happens," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright, whose team was No. 1 during three weeks in February last season before ultimately winning the national championship. "Thank God we've experienced that already. It's something to deal with."
Darryl Reynolds added 13 points and Jalen Brunson contributed 11, while Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo each had 10 for the Wildcats (8-0), who won their record 16th straight Big 5 game.
It was also Villanova's 42nd consecutive victory at The Pavilion, their on-campus arena on the Main Line.
All of the Wildcats' streaks will certainly continue next week as the top team in all of Division I.
"It's definitely a nice problem to have," Hart said. "At the end of the day, we're not really worried about that. We've got to get back to work. We've got to get better."
Hart's triple-double was the first recorded by a Villanova player since Harold Pressley had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in an 80-68 win over Providence in January of 1986.
"The guy is so coachable," Wright said of Hart. "I've got to believe he'll be a great player at the next level."
Lamarr Kimble paced Saint Joseph's with 15 points, while Shavar Newkirk had 11. Newkirk scored 20 or more points in the first three games and four of the first five.
The Hawks started the season with three straight wins but have since dropped four in a row to fall below .500.
Saint Joseph's struggled from inside the arc, going 16 for 47.
"When you're playing this level of a game, you have to make those shots," Hawks coach Phil Martelli said. "We're not a 3-point shooting team. We have to make twos and we didn't."
Villanova opened the second half the same way it finished the first half.
In the first 3:10, the Wildcats ripped off an 11-4 run, with Mikal Bridges going coast to coast for a layup and a 20-point lead at 55-35.
Jenkins drained a 3-pointer from the baseline for a 70-46 Villanova advantage with 8:20 to go. Jenkins added a layup 30 seconds later for a commanding 26-point lead.
"All the credit goes to my teammates," Jenkins said. "I just catch and shoot."
Saint Joseph's started strong and even pulled ahead 27-24 on a jumper by Kimble with 6:01 remaining in the first half.
With the crowd buzzing a bit in disbelief, Villanova responded in a big way with a 14-0 spurt, capped by a nifty hook shot from Jenkins for a 38-27 advantage with 2:42 left.
The Wildcats led 44-31 at halftime.
Jenkins led all scorers at the half with 15 points, while Hart had 12.
Saint Joseph made 13 of 30 shots in the first half, but was plagued by nine turnovers. Kimble paced the Hawks with nine points at halftime.
NOTES: Villanova G Phil Booth missed his fifth straight game because of left knee tendinitis. ... Saint Joseph's has dropped five in a row in this series, with its last win coming on Dec. 17, 2011. ... Villanova defeated the Hawks for the sixth consecutive time at The Pavilion. ... Saint Joseph's fell to 0-2 in the Big 5 this season, with a previous home loss to Temple.
Top Game Performances
| St. Joseph's |
|
Villanova |
|
Lamarr Kimble 15 |
Scoring |
Kris Jenkins 20 |
|
Lamarr Kimble 4 |
Assists |
Josh Hart 10 |
|
Markell Lodge 10 |
Rebounds |
Josh Hart 11 |
|
Charlie Brown 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Darryl Reynolds 3 |
|
Brendan Casper 2 |
Steals |
Mikal Bridges 3 |
|
N/A |
Blocks |
Mikal Bridges 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| St. Joseph's
|
57 |
33.9 |
5-15 |
10-13 |
10 |
28 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
| Villanova
|
88 |
51.6 |
16-34 |
8-12 |
23 |
41 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
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