Villanova headed to North Philly with a chance to claim the outright Big 5 title and to build some momentum heading into the final stretch of Big East play. It was a tale of two halves for Villanova, but the ‘Cats were able to get the job done with a 76-56 win over their city rival.
It was not a very good first half from Villanova. After a pair of Collin Gillespie threes got the ‘Cats out to a 6-0 lead Temple responded with a 7-0 run to take its first lead of the game. It set the stage for a back and forth first half, with the teams trading mini runs and the Owls ultimately taking a 30-26 advantage into the break.
Difficulties on offense really stuck out. The first-half offense looked nothing like what we’ve come to expect Villanova offense to look like. There was far too much isolation play and possessions ending with zero or one passes. The result was a disjointed, somewhat stagnant attack. Interestingly, ‘Nova assisted on five of its nine made field goals, showing that when the offense was operating the way it’s supposed to, it was working.
Interestingly, Jay Wright identified early foul trouble for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore for some of the offensive issues. Wright said he felt compelled to call more sets the remainder of the half and that it affected the rhythm.
The ‘Cats also had a difficult time making shots. Gillespie was 6-of-12 in the first half, the rest of the team combined to go 3-of-15, including 1-of-9 from three. That, combined with some trouble keeping Temple off the offensive glass, led to Villanova’s halftime deficit.
The second half was a completely different story. The ‘Cats ripped off nine-straight to open the half and ran the push to 20-2 to completely take over the game. The Owls would get back within seven but wouldn’t truly threaten again as Villanova maintained control and built the lead back up en route to a 76-56 win on the strength of a 50-26 second half.
The offense was much more fluid in the second half, spurred by the kind of ball movement we’ve come to expect. The ‘Cats did a good job tightening up on the offensive glass, allowing only two second-half offensive rebounds after giving up six in the first half. ‘Nova assisted on 16 of 27 made shots and ended up shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from three.
Gillespie was spectacular with 29 points and five assists, hitting 11-of-19 overall and 7-of-11 from three. Gillespie started to get some help in the second half and Jermaine Samuels finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, after dealing with early foul trouble, added 10 points and five rebounds. Justin Moore and Saddiq Bey chipped in nine points apiece with Bey added eight rebounds and five assists. Cole Swider adding six points off the bench.
With the win, Villanova reclaimed the Big 5 crown, its sixth city title in the last seven years. The ‘Cats have now won two in a row and improved to 19-6 on the season. They’ll now prepare to close out the Big East schedule, starting on Wednesday in DePaul. With Seton Hall’s loss to Providence on Saturday a Big East regular-season title has become a possibility again, and the ‘Cats will also look to build some momentum heading into March.
