VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova methodically pulled away from Penn over the final five minutes to post an 80-69 victory over the Quakers in a Philadelphia Big Five clash Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Sophomore forward Saddiq Bey registered a career-high 27 points along with six rebounds to key the victory. Villanova attempted only 10 3-pointers on the night as Penn (5-4 overall, 1-1 Big Five) spent a lot of energy chasing the Wildcat shooters off the arc. Senior AJ Brodeur led Penn with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
 
Villanova also got a boost from freshmen Justin Moore (17 points) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (13 points and 12 rebounds).
 
"There are no surprises in these games," noted Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "It's not just the coaches who know one another, it's the players. Everyone knows who goes right, who goes left, who's a confident shooter, who isn't a confident shooter.
 
"Even in years past when we beat them, we didn't get 3's. They're very committed to their style of play. A lot of teams are, but they execute it really well. Penn's not going to break down. These (Big Five) games help us."
 
The two teams traded early runs as the Wildcats made their first appearance of the modern era in light blue alternate uniforms. After the Quakers grabbed a 7-6 lead, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 burst to move in front 13-8. Penn answered with a 9-0 surge to grab a 17-13 advantage through 8:55 of the first half. Villanova rode the offensive work of Bey, who scored 15 points in the first 17:05 while Penn leaned on Brodeur, who had 12 points in the same period.
 
"Brodeur had 42 assists coming into this game," Wright said. "He's as good as any point guard you're going to face. And he's 6-9. Jeremiah did a great job on him."
 
"He's a really experienced player," Robinson-Earl said. "He knows what he's doing. He knows I'm a younger guy and he can exploit that. I think it can make you better mentally going up against that kind of player. It's fun playing against players like that."
 
The game was even at 30 as it closed in on halftime.
 
A 6-0 run over the final 2:55 – highlighted by a Cole Swider 3-pointer – gave the Wildcats a 36-30 lead at intermission. Bey's 16 points led all scorers while the Quakers' Brodeur paced Penn with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
 
The Wildcats were able to construct that final burst without Collin Gillespie, who picked up his third foul with 4:28 remaining in the first period.
 
Bey's work driving towards the goal helped Villanova extend its lead to 48-40 early in the period.
 
"Our coaching staff really told us we needed to get downhill and that this is a team that prides itself on forcing you into contested jumpers," Bey stated. "We work on that every day in practice, trying to post up and get to the basket. They gave us the opportunity and luckily we were able to convert some of them."
 
Penn's crisp offensive execution helped the Quakers quickly construct another run, which pulled them to within 48-47 on a Jordan Dingle 3-pointer from the right side. The two teams traded baskets for a stretch but Villanova slowly pulled away with Moore and Robinson-Earl contributing clutch scores. Gillespie added six late free throws to help secure the win.
 
 "We looked forward to this game," stated Wright. "It wasn't about winning or losing. It was knowing we were going to be tested by a disciplined team. Our mental toughness was going to be tested, our execution was going to be tested. And then we'd see where we are. We happened to win.
 
"That's a good win for us."
 
The stretch of Big Five action resumes Saturday for the Wildcats, who will make the short trek to City Line Avenue to face Saint Joseph's. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. for a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2 and 610 ESPN Radio.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.