Wildcats Earn Another Holy War Win
"They are two talented guards," stated Wright. "Teams pay so much attention to Collin (Gillespie), as they did tonight, that it really frees Caleb and Justin up to make plays." (Charles Fox/Philadelphia Inquirer).
"This was a very good game for us," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They are a very difficult team to guard. They are very unorthodox offensively with five guys out who can really shoot it. They cut hard and move well."
Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports
VILLANOVA, PA - Despite wearing a face-shield for a broken nose, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl battled with 25 points and seven boards to lead the Villanova Wildcats to an 88-68 win over the Saint Joseph's Hawks in the annual "Holy War". The Wildcats improved to 7-1 overall, recording its fifth consecutive in the process.
"This was a very good game for us," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They are a very difficult team to guard. They are very unorthodox offensively with five guys out who can really shoot it. They cut hard and move well."
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 14-5 lead in the game's opening five minutes as all five starters for Villanova scored a basket to build their early lead. But, in typical Big 5 fashion, the Hawks responded. An 11-0 spurt, led by two triples from junior guard Taylor Funk, gave St. Joe's its first lead of the game at 15-14 with 12 and a half minutes remaining in the half. Villanova would try to separate itself from its Big 5 rival for the next few minutes, but St. Joe's would keep coming back as another triple from Funk cut the Wildcats lead to 26-25 with 5:26 left to play in the half. A few moments later, a dunk by Robinson-Earl sparked a 15-8 run over the last four minutes to give the Wildcats a 41-33 lead after 20 minutes of play. The sophomore forward scored 11 of his 25 in the first half, offsetting Villanova's first half shooting performance as it was 15-of-36 (41.7%) from the floor. Even though his team had a seven point advantage at halftime, Wright was not surprised that the Hawks were capable of making the game competitive.
"They can do that to you because they play fast and can score quickly," noted Wright on St. Joe's taking the lead and keeping it close in the first half.
Unfortunately for the St. Joe's, Villanova would control the game the entire second stanza. The opening five minutes of the second half belonged to the Wildcats as it increased its lead to 15 after a dunk by Justin Moore. Funk, who finished with 17 points, would knock down another triple a minute later to cut Villanova's lead to 10 with 14:13 to play, but a three by Wildcats guard Caleb Daniels three minutes later gave Villanova its second 15-point lead of the half. With eight and a half to play, baskets made by Moore, Daniels, and Eric Dixon gave the Wildcats a 20-point advantage. Villanova shot the ball much better in the second half than the first, making 17-of-29 shots from the field (60.7%).
In addition to Funk's 17, freshman forward Jordan Hall also had 17 points, as St. Joe's dropped to 0-4. The Hawks showed that they were not afraid to compete with Villanova, and played well in a few categories, including making 10 threes and held senior guard Collin Gillespie to just seven points. The issue with holding Gillespie to single digits was it allowed other Wildcats more scoring opportunities. Four of the starting five finished with double-figures in points, including 18 from Moore and 19 from Daniels.
"They are two talented guards," stated Wright. "Teams pay so much attention to Collin (Gillespie), as they did tonight, that it really frees Caleb and Justin up to make plays."
The Wildcats will travel to Marquette on Wednesday night for another Big East matchup, its last game before Christmas. Coverage begins on Fox Sports 1 at 7PM ET.