Jake Adams (@jakeadams520)
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The first Friday of the college basketball season started with a blowout victory for one Big 5 women’s team. Four other Philadelphia teams, men’s and women’s, are in action as well after the season tipped off Monday.

Drexel women’s basketball got into the win column after a 5:30 p.m. tipoff on the road. And Villanova's women opened the 2023-24 season with a victory, while Temple's men improved to 2-0 through the first week.

Here’s how Big 5 teams got it down Friday night:

WBB: Drexel 65, Delaware State 33

Drexel women’s basketball picked up its first win of the season in dominant fashion Friday, 65-33 over Delaware State.

Five Dragons scored at least eight points and the team shot 46.7% from 3-point range (7 of 15). Junior guard Momo LaClair and freshman guard Laine McGurk each scored a team-high 12 points, with LaClair adding seven rebounds and an assist. Jasmine Valentine, Chloe Hodges and Amaris Baker each had eight points.

The defense held the Hornets on Friday night to just 26.7% shooting (12 of 45), and the Dragons outrebounded them 38-20. Delaware State got a team-high 10 points and seven rebounds from Naomi Zulueta, a Lancaster Catholic product.

The win came two nights after Drexel (1-1) blew a three-point halftime lead and shot just 23.8% from range. 

Baker has been off to a strong start in the first week of the season for the Dragons, averaging 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists while shooting 7 of 19 (36.8%) from the field and 4 of 11 (36.4%) from beyond the arc.

MBB: Temple 75, Navy 68

Jahlil White dropped 18 points and snagged 10 rebounds as Temple took down Navy 75-68.

He was deadly on offense, going 8-of-12 from the field while dishing out three assists, tied for the team lead. He got plenty of help on that end of the floor, with Hysier Miller chipping in 18 points (3-of-9 from deep) and three assists, plus five rebounds. Matteo Picarelli knocked down four triples for 17 points as well.

Through two games, White is averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds.

Temple (2-0) shot 41% from the field (25-of-61), continuing a strong start to the season. They’re shooting at a 42.1% clip through the first week.

The Owls, under first-year coach Adam Fisher, took a commanding 41-26 halftime lead and held on the rest of the way. Austin Benigni led the Midshipmen with 13 points and three assists.

WBB: Villanova 64, Portland 42

Villanova opened its season with a comfortable 64-42 victory over Portland to start the post-Maddy Siegrist era.

Lucy Olsen was impressive, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with five assists, both team highs. Maddie Burke added 12 points and three assists, and Bella Runyan rounded out the leaders with 10 points and five boards. 

The Wildcats (1-0) stormed out to an 18-6 first-quarter lead and never trailed in Portland’s Chiles Center. They shot 41.9% from the field but did struggle from 3-point territory, going just 4-of-18 (22.2%). Olsen and Burke were the only Cats to make a 3, with two each.

Lucy Cochrane led Portland with 11 points and eight rebounds. Villanova’s defense was stifling, holding the Pilots to just 33.3% shooting.