VILLANOVA, Pa. Villanova returns home on Sunday afternoon to take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks in the championship game of the Toyota Philadelphia Big 5 Classic. The Wildcats enter play riding a five-game winning streak with a 7-2 record, while the Hawks are 6-2 on the year. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m., at the Finneran Pavilion.
In the first two games of the Classic, La Salle plays Penn at noon in the fifth-place game, while Drexel takes on Temple in the third-place game at 2:15 p.m.
Villanova enters play versus Saint Joseph's having won 10 of the last 11 versus the Hawks. The Wildcats defeated Saint Joseph's twice last year (81-65 win at SJU in the regular season; 62-60 at SJU in second round of WBIT). Villanova has won five straight against the Hawks in games played at Villanova. Saint Joseph's last win at the Finneran Pavilion came on Dec. 7, 2013 (63-60).
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With a win over Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Villanova will capture the Philadelphia Big 5 championship. The Wildcats went 2-0 in Big 5 pod play with victories over Temple (88-58) and La Salle (64-52). This would be Villanova's 20th all-time Big 5 title. Villanova lost to Temple in last year's Big 5 title game by a score of 76-62.
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The Wildcats enter play on Sunday with an all-time Big Five record of 136-43 (.759). The136 wins are the most victories by any Big Five women's program. Villanova is 47-9 (.839) in its last 56 games versus Philadelphia Big Five competition. The Wildcats have also won 11 of its last 13 Big 5 contests.
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Forward
Brynn McCurry has been outstanding for the Wildcats over the last five games. In the five contests versus James Madison, Temple, La Salle, West Virginia and Georgetown, McCurry has scored 90 points (18.0 ppg. during the stretch) on 32-of-52 shooting (.615) to go with 36 rebounds and 18 assists.
After nine games this year, sophomore guard
Jasmine Bascoe is averaging a team-high 18.6 points per game. Bascoe has scored double figures in 38 of 43 career games.Â
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