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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. ââ'¬"With Temple expending much of its defensive energy on containing Villanova's top two scorers, Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono, the Wildcats were in need of boosts from alternative sources Wednesday night.

Young guards Jalen Brunson and Phil Booth provided that and more to help boost Villanova to an 83-67 victory over the Owls before a Liacouras Center record crowd of 10,472.

Brunson, a freshman, established a new season high in points (25) while connecting on 9-of-11 field goal attempts. Booth, a sophomore, provided 12 points and five rebounds in an essential effort for Villanova.

The win wrapped up a third straight Philadelphia Big Five title for the No. 1 ranked Wildcats (23-3 overall, 4-0 Big Five), who have won 14 straight games in City Series competition. The Owls, who had entered this contest surging to the postseason dropped to 16-9 overall, 2-2 Big Five.

"To win on the road in a great college basketball environment like this is really good for our team," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

Temple grabbed a 4-2 lead in the opening minutes before a spurt engineered by Ryan Arcidiacono helped lift the Wildcats into the lead. Arcidiacono drained a 3-pointer, fed Brunson for a layup and came up with a steal to help put VU in front at 7-4.

After a short rally that gave Temple a 9-8 lead, Villanova went on an 8-0 burst capped by a Josh Hart layup to claim a 16-9 advantage with 11:14 to play in the first period.

It was during this point that Brunson and Booth significantly impacted the game. Each scored eight points in the period and helped the Wildcats create a cushion with a 35-23 advantage after 20 minutes.

"I didn't realize that Jalen had that many," said Wright of the 25-point outburst from the native of Lincolnshire, Ill., whose father Rick was a standout guard at Temple in the 1990s.

"We went to Chicago (last week) and there were a lot of people there to see him. I was just very impressed with how he handled that. He made all of the right plays. He just got everybody else the ball. He played great. So I knew this wasn't going to affect him.

"It was just one of those games where they were taking Arch away from us and did a great job on Josh Hart. They did a good job on Jenkins. That's why I think Booth and Jalen both got it going. I think Jalen took the plays that came to him. I don't think he did anything other than he normally does. He just took the opportunities that were there."

Villanova opened the second half on a 7-0 spurt to extend their lead to 42-23, forcing a Temple time out. But the Owls got their offense in gear ââ'¬" scoring 44 points over the final 17 minutes of the contest - to keep Villanova from ever relaxing.

Yet each time VU needed an answer, Brunson or one of his teammates delivered one. The Wildcats also got a hand from Daniel Ochefu who converted 7-of-8 field goal attempts to finish the night with 16 points and nine caroms.

"There's nothing like playing a road game in the Big Five," stated Wright. "This one was placed in here to prepare us for postseason. It really did that. This was a great crowd and Temple was great. We knew they wouldn't go away."

For Brunson, the night was about staying true to the program's core values.

"I came into this game with the same mentality as every other game," he noted. "Coach (Wright) preaches to treat every game the same and that's what I did."

The Wildcats resume BIG EAST play (12-1) on Saturday when Butler visits the Pavilion (2:30 p.m./Fox 29 and 610 Sports Radio WTEL). Villanova will recognize its senior class of Arcidiacono, Patrick Farrell, Henry Lowe, Ochefu and Kevin Rafferty in pre-game ceremonies.

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