Quick Report: Villanova 88, Saint Joseph's 57

Eric Paschall slams home two points during Villnaova's 88-57 rout of Saint Joseph's on Saturday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Daniel Hughes (@dan1el_sun)
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An early scare from Saint Joseph’s provided plenty of fuel for Villanova in the annual Holy War. Kris Jenins and Josh Hart led the way as a big push to close out the first half provided plenty of momentum for the No. 2 Wildcats in an 88-57 win over the Hawks at the Pavilion on Saturday.

At First…
Despite early fireworks from the Wildcats, Saint Joseph’s kept the game within reach and even managed to pull ahead by one with nine minutes to go on in the first on a long 3-pointer by Shavar Newkirk that fired up the Hawks cheering section. Lamarr Kimble extended the lead to three with six minutes to go in the half, silencing the sellout crowd at the Pavilion -- except for a small-but-loud group of St. Joe’s students sitting up against the rafters.

Turning Point…
Needing to establish some momentum going into the half, Villanova did just that and then some. The response to the St. Joe’s push was a 14-0 run, which gave the Wildcats their first double-digit lead of the game on a Kris Jenkins jumper just under three minutes before halftime. After Markell Lodge stemmed the flow with a put-back dunk for St. Joe’s, back-to-back 3-pointers by Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson helped ‘Nova take a 44-31 lead into the break. Two early second half triples by Brunson and Mikal Brides pushed the advantage to 18, and the Hawks never challenged.

Standout Stars…
Just as they’ve done all season, the Villanova senior tandem of Jenkins and Hart led the way for the No. 2 team in the country. Jenkins, a 6-foot-6 forward, was 7-of-14 from the floor for his game-high 20 points; Hart, a 6-5 wing, had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. They paced six Wildcats in double figures; Darryl Reynolds had 13, Brunson 11 and Paschall/Donte DiVincenzo had 10 each.

Sophomore guard Lamarr Kimble led St. Joe's with 15 points and four assists in 36 minutes of action; Newkirk added 11 as the only other Hawk in double figures.

Noteworthy Number(s)...
16: Villanova tied its season high with 16 made 3-pointers on the afternoon, shooting a nifty 16-of-34 (47.1 percent) from deep against a Hawks' defense that had allowed opponents to make 37.3 percent of its triples on the season. The win was also Villanova's 16th straight in Big 5 play, extending its own record, and was its largest win in that span.

12: Saint Joseph’s hasn’t won on Villanova’s on-campus Pavilion since future NBA stars Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led the Hawks to a 74-67 win on Feb. 2, 2004. Villanova’s win was the fifth straight overall in the series and sixth straight at the Ski Lodge; St. Joe’s hasn’t beaten ‘Nova in any venue since a 74-58 win at Hagan Arena on Dec. 17, 2011.

11: The Hawks first 11 points were scored entirely by their two starting freshmen, Charlie Brown and Nick Robinson. Brown hit a 3-pointer on the first St. Joe’s possession and then later added a layup and a free throw. Robinson, filling in for the injured James Demery, converted on a mid-range jumper and then made a three of his own just before the 14-minute mark.

Up Next…
Villanova (8-0) @ La Salle (3-2) -- Tues., Dec. 6, 7 PM (Palestra)
Saint Joseph’s (3-4) @ Drexel (3-4) -- Sun., Dec. 11, 6 PM