City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Jalen Brunson made a statement with 25 points and No. 1 Villanova avoided a Big 5 upset on Wednesday night, beating Temple, 83-67.

At first…
After the team’s traded buckets for the first seven minutes, the top-ranked Wildcats started to take over. Villanova went on a 20-6 run, capped by a Ryan Arcidiacono 3-pointer, and led by 13 points with six minutes left in the first half.

Turning point…
Villanova went on a 4-0 immediately in the second half, turning its 35-23 halftime lead into a 16-point advantage. This also really helped take a full crowd and loud Liacouras Center student section out of the game. Temple made a late push, but it was too little, too late for the Owls.

Shining stars…
Playing against his father’s former team, Brunson was impressive facing Temple. The freshman guard knocked down nine of his 11 field goals, including four of five 3-pointers. The rest of the Wildcats went only 4-for-18 from beyond the arc. Big man Daniel Ochefu added 16 points and nine rebounds for Villanova, while freshman Trey Lowe had a team-high 21 points for the Owls.

Noteworthy numbers…
Villanova shot 50 percent (30-for-60) from the field. …Temple scored just 23 points in the first half and hit just one 3-pointer and no free throws before halftime. …Villanova’s leading scorer, Josh Hart, was held to four points on 2-of-9 shooting. …The Wildcats finished the Big 5 undefeated at 4-0, while the Owls went 2-2.

Up next…
Villanova (23-3) vs. Butler (2/20, 2:30 p.m.)
Temple (16-9) at Houston (2/21, 7 p.m.)