Overview
 
Villanova used a 17-2 burst over the final minutes of the first half to snap a 27-27 tie on its way to an 90-63 victory over Penn Saturday night to claim its 30^th Philadelphia Big Five championship and first Big Five Classic crown.
 
Bryce Lindsay scored 17 of his 18 points in the second half and Duke Brennan recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to help pace a balanced Villanova attack. Graduate transfer Devin Askew provided a major lift off the bench with 17 points and three assists.
 
The Wildcats had 19 assists on 31 field goals.
 
Streamers Tossed
 
Both teams opened with a 3-pointer on their opening possession and in each case, in a nod to Big Five history, streamers flowed from the respective student sections at either end of the court at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
 
The Wildcats were in an offensive groove in the first 5:51, sinking 6-of-8 from the field go grab a 15-11 lead. Penn stayed close on the strength of 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
 An Askew triple pushed the lead to 22-16 midway through the period.
 
D Makes an Impact Late in the Half
 
The 'Cats pushed the edge to 27-19 but Penn answered with an 8-0 run fueled by the 3-pointer that tied the game with just more than five minutes remaining in the first half. The Quakers were 7-of-12 from deep at that juncture of the contest.
 
Cam Thrower had given the Quakers a significant lift off the bench, sinking a trio of triples that helped forge that 27-27. Freshman guard Chris Jeffery's tenacious defense helped ignite a 17-2 surge over the final five minutes. Askew was impactful too, coming up with a pair of steals in the final 15 seconds to help give Villanova a 44-29 lead at the break.
 
The Wildcats enjoyed a 20-2 edge on points in the paint in the period to go with 7-of-14 shooting from distance (.500). Brennan ended the half with 12 points to go with six rebounds.
 
Penn was 7-of-13 from deep in the first half (.538) but just 4-of-17 from inside it.
 
"It's a nice thing to have guys like Devin and Malachi coming off the bench," stated Villanova head coach Kevin Willard. "They're older, they're physical, so we always get better defensively when they come in the game. As that group has gotten to practice together (recently), they have gotten better offensively. Dev was out for two months, Malcolm was out, Zion was out for a month and a half.
 
"Those guys didn't practice much together. Defensively, I always had a lot of confidence in them, but I think they're more comfortable offensively now."
 
A Lindsay Leap
 
Bryce Lindsay went without a point through the first 20 minutes – though he had a nifty assist early in the half – but the sophomore transfer from JMU heated up after intermission. He dropped in three straight from deep as part of a 6-of-8 start to the period from the field for Villanova.
 
When Acaden Lewis completed an old-school three-point play, the Wildcats were on top 62-37 after five minutes of play in the second half. Villanova was never threatened again on its way to the 27-point margin of victory.
 
Of Note
 
The Wildcats finished the night 15-of-31 from long distance (.484). Last season, they tied a program record with 19 3-pointers in their appearance at the Big Five Classic against Temple (19-of-30). In their last two appearances at the Big Five Classic, VU is 34-of-61 (.557) from deep…
 
Villanova extended its winning streak to seven games…
 
The Wildcats enjoyed a 34-16 advantage over the Quakers on points in the paint…
 
Next up for Villanova: a visit to No. 3 Michigan, which is likely to move up at least one spot in the national polls after a win over Rutgers Saturday while previously unbeaten Big Ten rival Purdue was beaten at home by Iowa State.
 
What They Said
 
Askew, a native of California, was asked what he knew about the Big Five prior to enrolling at Villanova: "I'd never heard of it. But I'm just honored to put on a Villanova jersey and get a win in the Big Five Classic. I know it means a lot in Philly."
 
Brennan: "I think the biggest factor for us is our team has been dealing with injuries on and off, myself included. It's important to practice fully healthy. We have three big teams coming up so hopefully we can get back to practice – all of us – and prepare us for these next couple of games."