VILLANOVA, Pa. – The No. 21/21 Villanova Wildcats extended their Philadelphia Big Five winning streak to 25 games Saturday with a 70-58 victory over Saint Joseph's (5-5 overall, 0-2 Big Five).
 
The Wildcats built a 22-point second half lead before seeing the Hawks shave the deficit to 62-56 with 2:39 to play. But a clutch 3-pointer by redshirt senior Phil Booth helped put a stop to the Hawks surge and helped lift Villanova to its sixth straight win.
 
Senior Eric Paschall led Villanova with 14 points and nine rebounds. Booth contributed 12 points, six assists and a single turnover. Joe Cremo (12 points) and Jermaine Samuels (11 points, eight rebounds) were part of a bench scoring effort that added 31 points on the day.
 
"I say this every time – this was a Big Five battle," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "A big part of this game was (Saint Joseph's) not having two starters. That put a lot of pressure on Lamarr Kimble and Jared Bynum. I thought they did a really good job. They were tough to handle and they did a really good job of keeping us off the glass.
 
"We didn't shoot the ball great but we didn't get any easy baskets and couldn't get to the foul line. We're happy to get out of it with a win."
 
On the day, the Wildcats attempted 43 3-point field goals, converting 13 (.302). It was the second highest total of attempted 3-pointers in program history (the Wildcats attempted 44 in a 76-68 overtime loss to Furman on Nov. 17).
 
"We don't go in choosing how many we want to take," stated Wright. "It's just what they give us. Sometimes teams decide they aren't going to give us 3's. Then you've got to get to the rim or the foul line. Today they decided we're going to give them 3's and not going to let them get to the glass or the rim. They did a great job of it and it worked.
 
"What saved us a little bit was our defense in the first half was great. It wasn't in the second half."
 
The game's first 10 minutes did not look dissimilar to the defensive tussle that characterized Wednesday night's Big Five clash with Temple. Against the Hawks' 2-3 defense, the bulk of the offensive looks came from beyond the arc. In fact, 14 of Villanova's first 16 attempts from the floor were from distance. The Wildcats were 5-of-14 from distance in that stretch and gained a 19-17 lead after 11 minutes of action.
 
Samuels gave Villanova a lift upon entering the game. He drained a pair of 3-pointers to help the 'Cats craft a 25-18 lead. Kimble's scoring helped keep the Hawks within range – he would finish the first 20 minutes with 14 points – but a 6-0 run at the end of the period allowed Villanova to claim a 38-28 lead at halftime.
 
"When we got (Jermaine) in there, I really liked how we were playing defensively against the ball screens," Wright said.
 
 
After a Saint Joseph's 3-pointer to open the second half cut the gap to seven, VU reeled off a 10-0 spurt capped by a Cole Swider drive and score to push the Wildcats' lead to 48-31 after 3:05 of second half action.
 
"The young guys are the future of our program," said Wright. "Every minute we can get for them is valuable. We really believe in them as players. It's hard as a freshman to come into these games."
 
The Wildcats expanded the lead to 62-40 with just over eight minutes to play before a 16-0 spurt by the Hawks shaved the margin to 62-56 with 2:39 to go in regulation. During the stretch Villanova missed nine consecutive field goal attempts.
 
A 3-pointer by Phil Booth ultimately ended the scoring drought. The Hawks got a layup from Markelle Lodge to close to within 65-58 with 2:10 left. But Saint Joseph's did not score again and the Wildcats were able to exhale after improving their record to 8-2, 3-0 Big Five.
 
Villanova closes out the Philadelphia Big Five portion of its schedule on Tuesday night when it visits Penn at the Palestra (7 p.m./ESPN2 and 610 ESPN Radio).