Dec. 2, 2008
Recap | Box Score
VILLANOVA-PENN SERIES NOTES
With tonight's victory, Villanova now leads the all-time series with Penn by a 39-17 margin. The Wildcats have won six straight games in the series and 11 of the past 13 overall. Villanova has also won six of the last seven meetings between the teams inside the Palestra. The last loss against the Quakers was a 72-58 defeat at the Wachovia Center on December 10, 2002.
BIG FIVE NOTES
Villanova has won 15 of its last 16 games against Philadelphia Big Five opponents and got back into the win column tonight against Penn. In their most recent City Series contest before tonight's game, the Wildcats were defeated by Saint Joseph's, 77-55, at the Palestra last season on February 4, 2008. That loss snapped a record 14-game Big Five winning streak for Villanova.
LUCKY SEVEN
For the 15th time in its history, Villanova has started the season with at least seven consecutive victories. It is the second-best start under head coach Jay Wright after the 2005-06 squad that started the year 10-0 before suffering its first loss. The Wildcats best start to a season was 13 straight wins at the beginning of the 1937-38 campaign.
Top Starts to a Season in School History
13-0 1937-3812-0 1948-49 1961-6211-0 1942-4310-0 1940-41 1959-60 2005-069-0 1950-518-0 1958-59 1964-65 1977-787-0 1949-50 1984-85 1995-96 2008-09
PLAYING AT THE PALESTRA
On the heels of capturing the Philly Hoop Group Classic at the Palestra this past weekend, Villanova opened Big Five play with tonight's game against Penn at the historic venue. This marked the first time since December 11-22, 1982 that the Wildcats played three straight games in the Palestra.
PALESTRA SUCCESS
Villanova has won nine of its last 10 games inside the Palestra over the past five seasons. The only loss in this span came to Saint Joseph's last season, 77-55, on February 4, 2008. The Wildcats are 13-4 (.765) in the building under Jay Wright and 291-136 (.681) all-time.
DANTE'S DOUBLE DOUBLE
Senior forward Dante Cunningham registered his third double-double of the season and eighth of his career with 20 points and 11 rebounds in tonight's contest. Cunningham was 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line to notch his second game of the year with at least 20 points. He currently has scored in double figures in all seven games this season and nine straight games dating back to last year. His longest previous streak of double-figure scoring games was four in a row during his sophomore season.
ANDERSON MAKES SEASON DEBUT
Senior guard/forward Dwayne Anderson made his season debut in tonight's game in his return from a stress fracture. Anderson played seven minutes and had three points, one rebound and a turnover.
WIRE TO WIRE
Villanova scored the first points of tonight's game on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Corey Stokes 15 seconds into the contest and never trailed in the game. The Wildcats took control with a 15-3 run spanning more than seven minutes in the first half which stretched a 5-4 lead to a 20-7 advantage midway through the period. Villanova eventually led by as many as 15 points in the first half and by 27 in the second half before settling on the final margin.
DEFENSIVE DOINGS
In three of its last four outings Villanova has held the opposition to fewer than 50 points, and the Wildcats have not surrendered more than 68 points in any of its first seven games. The defensive effort has shown in opposing teams' shooting numbers. Villanova opponents have combined to go 136-of-369 (.369) from the floor and just 39-of-146 (.267) from three-point range. The Wildcats have posted a +21.0 scoring margin through its first seven games.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Through seven games this season the Villanova offense is in a similar spot to last season. The Wildcats are averaging 77.7 points per game this year, a near match to the 77.0 points per contest through the first seven games of 2007-08. The defense is another story, as Villanova has lowered its early-season defensive average (67.0 in 2007-08) by more than 10 points per game this year (56.7 in 2008-09).
