Villanova Wildcats vs Saint Joseph's Hawks Box Score on Dec 02, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 2, 2017

PHILADELPHIA -- Mikal Bridges scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Phil Booth added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists and fourth-ranked Villanova extended its Big 5 winning streak to 20 in a row with a 94-53 win over rival Saint Joseph's on Saturday in what is known as the "Holy War" at Hagan Arena.

Jalen Brunson contributed 14 points for the Wildcats, who improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in games involving the Philadelphia Big 5. Omari Spellman had 16 points and 11 rebounds, though much of his statistics came in the waning minutes.

James Demery paced Saint Joseph's with 14 points while Taylor Funk added 13. Chris Clover had 12.

The Hawks had their brief two-game winning streak snapped and fell back to .500 at 4-4.

Villanova started strong in the second half with five quick points -- a jumper by Eric Paschall and a deep 3-pointer by Bridges -- for a 19-point lead at 46-27.

Booth later connected on a trey and Bridges did the same and suddenly the Wildcats' lead was 55-29 with 17:16 remaining, forcing Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli to take a timeout. The Wildcats knocked down five of their first six shots, and the victory was never in doubt.

The lead swelled to 86-50 late in regulation on a 3-pointer by Collin Gillespie. The Wildcats hit 10 of their first 16 3-pointers in the second half to assist in the 36-point lead.

Demery converted a conventional three-point play late in the first half to get the Hawks within 29-27.

But the Wildcats responded in a huge way with four consecutive 3-pointers by three different players -- Booth, Bridges and two by Spellman -- for a 41-27 advantage. Spellman had been starting but was benched for the first few minutes by the coaching staff as a result of missing his targeted weight by 1.2 pounds. Donte DiVincenzo started in Spellman's place.

The Wildcats took a 41-27 lead into the locker room and quieted what had been a raucous sellout crowd.

Booth led all first-half scorers with 13 points as the Wildcats shot 52 percent -- 16 of 31.

Saint Joseph's shot just 11 of 30 -- 37 percent.

NOTES: Villanova next has a difficult matchup against No. 15 Gonzaga Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. ... Villanova coach Jay Wright picked up his 394th career victory at the school. ... Saint Joseph's played without key injured players Charlie Brown (left wrist fracture) and Lamarr Kimble (left foot). Kimble is out for the season. ... The Hawks are off until next Saturday when they travel to face Big 5 foe Temple. ... Villanova leads the all-time series against Saint Joseph's 49-23 with a 3-1 record at Hagan Arena. ... The Hawks' last win in this series came on Dec. 17, 2011.