PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – No. 16 Villanova came to the Wells Fargo Center Saturday in the midst of a shooting slump. But that changed before a crowd of 15,041 here as sophomore forward Saddiq Bey exploded for a career-best 33 points in an 80-66 BIG EAST victory over Georgetown.
 
"We like to say, 'shoot em up, sleep in the streets," explained head coach Jay Wright as his team improved to 12-3 overall, 3-1 BIG EAST. "It means that you have to be willing to live with a night where you go 0-of-11 if you want to have the night where you go 9-of-11."
 
After sinking just 6-of-33 from distance in Tuesday night's win at Creighton, the Wildcats converted 15-of-29 from beyond the 3-point arc against Georgetown (11-6 overall, 1-3 BIG EAST).
 
Bey connected on 10-of-15 field goals, including 8-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also added three assists and a rebound in 37:09 of action.
 
"Saddiq is a good shooter," Wright stated. "He was going through one of those periods where he had to sleep in the streets. You can't be afraid of it. You have to be willing to keep shooting. I think that's what happened today."
 
Villanova used a 10-2 burst to open the second half to create separation after a tight first half resulted in a 39-36 halftime lead for the 'Cats.
 
"We're getting better," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright after watching his team sink 15-of-29 (.517) from beyond the 3-point arc. "We have a lot of work to do. That's a good Georgetown team that is coming off a big win over St. John's.
 
"We struggled defensively in the first half. We were pretty good offensively, but we struggled with their ball screens. They were getting downhill, getting to the offensive glass. We didn't change anything in the second half. We just did what we were trying to do in the first half."
 
Freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl contributed stout defense against Georgetown's Omer Yurtseven along with 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
Five points from Bey helped Villanova jump out to an early 10-4 advantage. A pair of Jamorko Picketts 3-pointers off set plays brought Georgetown back to a tie at 10. Those 3-pointers kicked off a run of seven straight made field goals by the Hoyas, boosting them to a 21-19 lead eight minutes into the period.
 
Villanova used a 9-0 surge midway through the period - capped by a Jermaine Samuels 3-pointer - to move out to a 31-23 lead. The Hoyas had an answer to that, reeling off an 11-3 run to pull even at 34 with 2:46 to go until halftime.
 
A traditional 3-point play by Samuels allowed the Wildcats to take a 39-36 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Wildcats had 10 assists on 14 made field goals in the period and were fueled by Bey's 19 points.
 
Villanova converted 10-of-17 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first 20 minutes.
 
A 12-foot jumper from Robinson-Earl was followed by another Bey triple in the first 30 seconds of the second half. Villanova led 44-36. The Wildcats built a 49-38 advantage before Georgetown snapped off a 6-0 run with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to shave its deficit to 49-44 after 4:06 of the second half.
 
Bey's scoring and a steady defensive effort allowed the Wildcats to rebuild the lead into double digits, ultimately pulling away to the 80-66 victory.
 
"I thought Jeremiah did a very good defensive job on Yurtseven," noted Wright.
 
Villanova held the Hoyas to 11-of-27 from the field in the second half (.407), including 2-of-8 from long range (.250). At the other end, the Wildcats produced 20 assists on 27 made field goals. Samuels, Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore each was credited with five helpers.
 
The Wildcats will continue their run at home on Tuesday night, when DePaul makes its way to Finneran Pavilion. That game is set to begin after 8:30 p.m. and will air nationally on FS1 with the radio broadcast found on 610 ESPN Radio and the TuneIn app. For those interested in attending the Men's Basketball game vs DePaul please visit Vivid Seats, our Official Resale marketplace. Tickets are available here.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.