After a disastrous last-place showing in the Big 5 last season, the Villanova Wildcats improved and took third-place in dominant fashion.
Will the real Villanova Wildcats please stand up?
After an up-and-down month of November, which included frustrating losses to Columbia, Saint Joseph’s Virginia and Maryland, the Wildcats are starting the month of December off strong.
Fresh off of their upset win over top 25-ranked Cincinnati, the Wildcats followed up with a demolition of Big 5 rival Temple in the third-place game at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.
Villanova connected on 19 three-pointers in a 94-65 beatdown of the Owls. The Wildcats’ sharpshooting performance tied a team record for most threes in a single game, a feat that has happened only two other times in Villanova history.
The Wildcats previously made 19 three-pointers against Saint Joseph’s on Dec. 1, 2017, and it was their first time doing so since dropping 19 of them on Creighton on Feb. 1, 2018.
Eric Dixon led the way with 24 points, six rebounds and a block. He drilled a team-high five 3-pointers, but there was plenty more help around him.
Wooga Poplar had 18 points and shot 4-of-7 from deep, with seven rebounds and a steal. Jordan Longino added a couple more threes en route to finishing with 14 points. Tyler Perkins supplied 12 points off the bench and shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Aleksandar Gavalyugov added a couple more threes, while Kris Parker and Jhamir Brickus also hit from deep to round out the efficient scoring display.
Villanova had an uncharacteristic day from the free throw line, shooting just 13-of-20 (65.0%), but it was a moot point with the way it shot the ball everywhere else.
The Wildcats finished 31-of-53 (58.5%) overall and 19-for-30 (63.3%) from deep. They were locked in from the perimeter throughout the second half, cashing in on 11-of-16 (68.8%) attempts.
Villanova left little doubt in the wire-to-wire win. It gained early separation and raced out to a 21-8 lead to begin the game. Poplar sank a three, the Wildcats’ fourth-straight, to give the Wildcats a 13-point lead with 12:23 left in the first half.
The Owls gained a little traction and cut the deficit down to as low as six, when Jamal Mashburn Jr. sank a three to make it 24-18 with 9:05 left, before the Wildcats got themselves out of the brief rut.
Poplar made a last-second dunk to cap off a strong first half, giving the Wildcats a 45-29 halftime lead.
The lead remained in double figures for the rest of the game. The Wildcats led by as much as 32 points, when Gavalyugov hit back-to-back threes in garbage time.
Mashburn paced Temple with a team-high 20 points. Steve Settle and Zion Stanford each added 11 points apiece.
The Owls shot 20-of-54 (37.0%) as a team, and 7-for-23 (30.4%) from long range. They also struggled with foul shots, knocking down just 18-of-29 (62.1%) free-throw attempts.
The Wildcats improved to 6-4 overall. They will prepare for one final non-conference opponent, when they host Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
It will be their last non-league game, before Big East play begins at home against Seton Hall on Dec. 17.