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Quick Report: No. 1 Villanova 78, Temple 57

12/13/2016, 8:45pm EST
By Jeff Griffith

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)

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Top-ranked Villanova used a dominant second half and a stellar showing from Josh Hart to run away from Temple at home and earn their fourth straight Big 5 title, downing the Owls by a final of 78-57.

At First…
Both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm out of the gate, as the first eight minutes saw the only points come from triples by Daniel Dingle, Shizz Alston, Jr., Jalen Brunson (2) and Kris Jenkins, as Villanova opened up an early 9-6 advantage without either team making a two-point basket until the 11:28 mark, when Eric Paschal threw down a slam in transition.

Villanova was able to open up a 20-8 lead, thanks to a 9-0 run fueled by Jenkins’ second three-pointer and a nice finish by Josh Hart. The Owls cut the lead to as few as four, but entered the break down 29-16 after a another 9-0 Wildcat run to finish the half.

Turning Point…
Scoring came at a bit less of a premium in the beginning second half as each team began to find a bit more rhythm. The fact that neither team could gain any momentum in the first six or seven favored the Wildcats, who were then able to build their lead to 18 on a couple of triples by Hart and Brunson. Hart dominated in the second half, after having just two points in the first 19 minutes of play.

By the 9:28 mark  a Mikal Bridges three-point play put the Wildcats up 61-33, the game’s largest lead until Paschall did the same to make it 71-43 with 4:30 left. Villanova stayed on the gas pedal and didn’t empty the bench until the last two minutes, by which point their advantage was 78-55.

Shining Stars…
After a slow first half, Hart was absolutely phenomenal for Villanova, finishing with a game-high 26 points. He shot 10-of-19 from the field and dropped three second-half three-pointers. Jenkins also had a strong performance, dropping four threes, which accounted for all 12 of his points, while also adding six rebounds and three assists.

The Owls were led by 12 from Alston and 11 from Dingle, who also tallied five rebounds and three assists. Ernest Aflakpui led Temple with six boards.

Noteworthy Numbers... 
18: The Owls struggled to take care of the ball, as they committed 18 turnovers, 12 of which came in the first half. Villanova took advantage with 20 points off of Temple giveaways.

0: Temple did not lead once against Villanova, despite trailing by as few as four late in the first half. Although at times it may not have felt like it, the Wildcats were in control from the opening tip.

Up Next…
No. 1 Villanova (11-0) vs. American -- Wed., Dec. 21 @ 6:30 PM
Temple (7-4) vs. NJIT -- Sat., Dec. 17 @ 2:00 PM

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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