Jan. 3, 2011

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova senior guard Corey Stokes (Bayonne, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) earned two honors on Monday. The BIG EAST Conference named the 6-5 guard to its Honor Roll while the Philadelphia Big Five named Stokes its Player of the Week for the second time this season.

On Thursday, Stokes scored 24 points to help Villanova wrap up its fourth perfect Philadelphia Big Five season in the last six years with a 78-74 victory over No. 25 Temple at the Pavilion. Stokes was 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc against the Owls.

After scoring only two points in the first half against Rutgers, Stokes keyed an 11-0 surge at the start of the second half that erased a four point deficit and gave Villanova a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. The senior finished with a game-high 23 points in what became an 81-65 triumph, Villanova's 44th in a row at its on-campus home.

Also on Monday, Villanova moved up one spot in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls from eighth to seventh place.

The Wildcats are idle until they visit USF on Thursday night in Tampa, Fla. (7:00 p.m./ESPNU).