skip navigation

City 6 Roundup (Jan. 22): Villanova men, women keep rolling

01/22/2022, 9:15pm EST
By Sam Istvan

Sam Istvan (@sistvan_14)
––

It was a busy Saturday for the City 6 on both the men’s and women’s sides, with several teams visiting conference foes and a few hosting them.

Here’s a roundup of the action for the day:

Collin Gillespie dribbles a basketball

Collin Gillespie (above, in Dec.) led the Wildcats to a victory after trailing at halftime. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

MBB: Villanova 85, Georgetown 74

Villanova came into D.C. eager to erase the bad taste of an upset home loss to Marquette earlier in the week. Yet they trailed by three points at halftime and by as many as eight in the second half to the 6-9 (0-4) Hoyas. Then, Collin Gillespie happened.

The veteran point guard sank four second-half threes as part of his 18-point second half effort, the last of which gave Villanova the lead for good. Gillespie tied his season high in scoring with 28 points (8-14 FGs, 6-9 3PTs). 

To orchestrate the comeback and take command of the game, Jay Wright’s squad put on a clinic on offense. They shot 53.6% from the field overall, including 63% in the second half (17-of-27) to go with a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line. In addition to Gillespie, Justin Moore (19 points, 8-13 FGs) and Jermaine Samuels (18 points, 8-11 FGs) were key contributors to the Wildcats’ impressive offensive effort. 

The win moved the Wildcats to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in the Big East, where they sit in second behind 5-1 Providence. Next on the slate, they’ll head back to Finneran Pavilion and welcome DePaul. 

---

WBB: Yale 63, Penn 53

It was a frustrating afternoon in New Haven for the Quakers. The Penn offense shot just 17-55 FGs, and to make matters worse, they turned it over 25 times, including 10 in the first quarter. 

Despite the offensive struggles, Penn hung around with a Yale team that is now 4-1 in the Ivy League in the first half. The Yale lead was just six at halftime, but the Bulldogs found separation in the third quarter, when Penn managed just seven points and two field goals. 

Kayla Padilla and Jordan Obi (18 points each) bore the brunt of the offensive load for the Quakers, though Obi struggled at times going just 5-of-19 from the field and turning the ball over 10 times. Outside of their two leading scorers, Penn managed just 17 points from the rest of the team, a stark contrast to their opponents who had nine different scorers and five players who scored at least seven points.

The Quakers, who started 2-0 in the Ivy League, are now 2-2 after tough losses to Princeton and Yale, who are a combined 9-1 in league play. Penn will look to bounce back on the road against Columbia on Wednesday.

---

MBB: William & Mary 83, Drexel 75

Click here to read Joey Piatt's story

The Dragons made a late push, scoring 17 consecutive points, after trailing by 21 with 6:42 to play. Senior Camren Wynter finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Sophomore Amari Williams just missed a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds, plus four blocked shots.

--

Taylor Funk shoots a basketball

Taylor Funk (above, in Nov.) was a bright spot in the Hawks' losing effort against VCU. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

MBB: Virginia Commonwealth 70, Saint Joseph’s 54

The Hawks traveled to Richmond on Saturday and they encountered stiff resistance on the offensive end. SJU had just 13 made field goals in total against a VCU defense ranked second nationally by KenPom.

St. Joe’s started the game on an 8-0 run and used another 10-0 run near the end of the first half to cling to a 25-24 halftime lead. VCU found their offense in the second half, though, shooting 16-of-30 from the field and the Hawks couldn’t keep up as their offense remained cold. 

Taylor Funk was the bright spot for SJU, totaling a team-high 22 points. Amidst his team’s struggles from the field, Funk found a way to manufacture points at the free throw line, going 11-of-11 there. 

Funk’s efforts were not enough, though, as SJU dropped the fourth contest of their last five, moving their record below .500 at 8-9. Now 2-4 in the A-10, the Hawks have a quick turnaround as they will travel to Fairfax on Monday to meet George Mason.

---

WBB: South Florida 75, Temple 67 (OT)

A marquee matchup in the American between two early front-runners did not disappoint, though, in the end, the visiting Owls received the short end of the stick.

The game was a tight one throughout. Each team’s largest lead through the end of regulation was just seven points. The Owls entered the fourth quarter down by five, but started the frame on an 8-0 run to turn the tables on the home team. 

The Bulls fought back and held a two-point lead in the final minute. Mia Davis came up clutch, though, scoring a game-tying lay-up with just eight seconds left to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, USF took control with a 10-1 run early on. That all but iced the game, as Temple couldn’t muster another comeback.

Davis led Temple with 26 points (9-20 FGs, 8-12 FTs). Alexa Williamson contributed 18 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort. The Owls dropped their first AAC contest, falling to 3-1 and 8-7 overall.

With her 26 points today, Davis now stands at 2,124 total points, just 70 away from the Temple women’s all-time points record set by Marilyn Stephens. Davis will next have a chance to further that gap on Wednesday, as the Owls return home to face Cincinnati. 

---

MBB: Penn 76, Yale 68

Click here to read Jerome Taylor's story

The Bulldogs put up in a fight during the second half, but the Quakers handed them their first Ivy League loss of the year. Sophomore Jordan Dingle had a huge game, tying his career high of 31 points on 13-of-24 shooting. Fellow sophomore Clark Slajchert scored 13 points, marking his fifth consecutive game with double-digit points.


D-I Coverage:

HS Coverage:

Small-College News:

Tag(s): Home  College  Division I  Women's  Temple  Drexel  Penn  St. Joe's  Villanova  Sam Istvan