Dec 6, 2003

Box Score

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Randy Foye scored 19 points, Allan Ray had 17 and Andreas Bloch 12, leading Villanova to a 74-61 win over La Salle on Saturday night.

The Wildcats (4-2) went on a 14-3 run late in the second half to pull away, getting 3-pointers from Ray and Bloch, for their second Big Five win this season. They already beat Temple and play Penn on Tuesday.

Gary Neal scored a career-high 32 points and Steven Smith had 17 for La Salle (1-5). Neal went 10-for-18 from the floor, but the Explorers shot only 34 percent from the field.

Neal and Smith combined for 28 points in the first half, helping the Explorers to a 33-29 lead. Foye hit two 3s early in the second half, rallying the Wildcats from a seven-point deficit.

Bloch gave Villanova the lead for good midway through the second half when he was fouled on a driving layup. He sank the free throw for the three-point play and a 47-46 lead. Foye then added a 3-pointer on the next possession to push the lead to five.

La Salle never got any consistent scoring production from anyone other than Neal and Smith, and didn't get closer than three points. Neal had four of La Salle's six 3-pointers.

The Wildcats shot 65 percent (18-for-24) from the floor in the second half, and they finished 10-for-21 from 3-point range. Foye sank four and Ray and Bloch added three each.

Villanova was missing Derrick Snowden and Marcus Austin, each suspended for misuse of a university telephone access code.

The La Salle student section taunted the Wildcats with chants of "Pay your phone bill!" and held a banner that read "Next time, dial down the center."

The game was the third in a tripleheader, the Big Five Classic, held at the Palestra. All Division I schools in the Philadelphia area played. Temple beat Drexel 57-48 and No. 12 Saint Joseph's defeated Penn 67-59.