Gillespie, Moore lead No. 6 Villanova past Saint Joe's 81-52
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) Collin Gillespie scored 23 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to an 81-52 victory over Saint Joseph's on Saturday.
Justin Moore added 16 points and Eric Dixon had 12 for the short-handed Wildcats (6-2), who won their 10th straight in a series dating to 1921 between the Big Five rivals that are separated by just seven miles.
''That was a good defensive performance by us,'' Villanova coach Jay Wright said. ''I was impressed.''
Jordan Hall scored 22 points for Saint Joe's (4-4).
''That is a great Villanova basketball team,'' said St. Joe's coach Billy Lange, who was on Wright's staff at Villanova for five seasons. ''I believe it is the best team he's had in 20 years. It might not be overall the most talented . To me that's a perfect team.''
The Wildcats have been dealing with a non-COVID virus for more than a week. It forced several players to quarantine away from the team this week.
Wright said Friday that three players were questionable for this game, but only Caleb Daniels was unable to play. A second-year transfer from Tulane, Daniels came off the bench in the previous seven games this season and averaged 9.4 points.
Wright said the Wildcats have used health and safety protocols to prevent other players from getting sick.
''It's unbelievable how we went right back into COVID mode,'' Wright said Friday.
The Wildcats still had plenty to easily beat Saint Joe's.
After going scoreless in the first half, Moore scored Villanova's first seven points of the second half, on a pair of 3-pointers and a free throw, to push the Wildcats' lead to 41-22 3 1/2 minutes into the second half.
''My teammates found me in the right spot,'' Moore said.
And Villanova's lead continued to grow as the Hawks couldn't find enough offensive game to even threaten an upset.
Villanova held Saint Joe's to 21 of 58 shooting (36.2%) from the field, including 7 for 31 (22.6%) from long range. The Hawks also committed 15 turnovers. Taylor Funk, who entered leading Saint Joe's at 17.4 points per game, went scoreless, missing all six of his tries, including five from 3-point range.
Wright credited Moore.
''He was unbelievable,'' he said.
Said Moore on what he did to stop Funk, ''Just always knowing where he is. He's a great player. Seeing my man at all times, staying connected to him.''
Gillespie, coming off a 26-point game in Wednesday's 71-56 win over Penn, was 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 7 on 3s.
Villanova led by as many as 15 points in the first half before settling for a 34-22 halftime lead. Gillespie had 15 points before the break, including a pair of late 3-pointers that pushed the advantage to 12. Funk missed all four of his field-goal attempts in the first half.
DOMINANCE
The Wildcats continued to rule a rivalry between Catholic schools known as the Holy War. The last win for Saint Joe's came on Dec. 17, 2011, when Langston Galloway scored 20 points to lead the Hawks to a 74-58 victory. And the Wildcats haven't just won of late, they've won big. Villanova has defeated the Hawks in their last 10 wins by a combined 221 points, or 22.1 points per contest. That includes victories by 41 points, 31, 30, 29, 28 and 20.
Along with Villanova and Saint Joe's, La Salle, Penn and Temple make up the Philadelphia-area Big Five. It was the third straight Big Five win this week for Villanova, which routed La Salle and Penn by a combined 41 points in games at the Palestra.
Wright said one reason for Villanova's success versus the local competition is how much they respect these opponents.
''We know the capability of these teams, so we never come into these games like it's over,'' he said. ''It's like that because we played really well. ... We know how good these teams are, and I think we play well in these games because we respect them so much.''
BIG PICTURE
Villanova: The Wildcats leave the Philadelphia area for the first time since Nov. 21 for a pair of nonconference tests, on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York against Syracuse in the Jimmy V Classic and on Dec. 12 at No. 4 Baylor, before opening Big East play at Creighton on Dec. 17.
Saint Joe's: The Hawks continue with Big Five competition, hosting Penn on Wednesday and Temple on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Villanova: Plays Syracuse on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.
Saint Joe's: Hosts Penn on Wednesday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Â | Ejike Obinna vs. Brandon Slater (Hawks gains possession) | Â | |
19:47 | Â | Erik Reynolds II misses two point jump shot | Â | |
19:45 | Â | Taylor Funk offensive rebound | Â | |
19:37 | Â | Jordan Hall misses three point jump shot | Â | |
19:35 | Â | Brandon Slater defensive rebound | Â | |
19:15 | Â | Eric Dixon turnover (3-second violation) | Â | |
18:58 | +2 | Ejike Obinna makes two point layup (Cameron Brown assists) | 2-0 | |
18:35 | +2 | Eric Dixon makes two point layup | 2-2 | |
18:15 | +2 | Ejike Obinna makes two point layup (Jordan Hall assists) | 4-2 | |
17:52 | Â | Erik Reynolds II shooting foul (Collin Gillespie draws the foul) | Â | |
17:52 | +1 | Collin Gillespie makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-3 | |
17:52 | +1 | Collin Gillespie makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-4 | |
17:35 | Â | Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot | Â | |
17:33 | Â | Brandon Slater defensive rebound | Â | |
17:20 | +2 | Brandon Slater makes two point jump shot | 4-6 | |
16:51 | Â | Jordan Hall turnover (bad pass) (Eric Dixon steals) | Â | |
16:42 | +2 | Jermaine Samuels makes two point layup (Collin Gillespie assists) | 4-8 | |
16:22 | Â | Cameron Brown misses two point layup | Â | |
16:20 | Â | Eric Dixon defensive rebound | Â | |
16:13 | +2 | Jermaine Samuels makes two point layup (Justin Moore assists) | 4-10 | |
15:43 | +3 | Erik Reynolds II makes three point jump shot (Jordan Hall assists) | 7-10 | |
15:15 | Â | Erik Reynolds II shooting foul (Collin Gillespie draws the foul) | Â | |
15:15 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
15:15 | +1 | Collin Gillespie makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-11 | |
15:15 | +1 | Collin Gillespie makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-12 | |
14:56 | Â | Jordan Hall misses two point jump shot | Â | |
14:54 | Â | Chris Arcidiacono defensive rebound | Â | |
14:44 | Â | Jordan Hall blocks Eric Dixon's two point layup | Â | |
14:42 | Â | Eric Dixon offensive rebound | Â | |
14:37 | Â | Eric Dixon turnover (bad pass) (Cameron Brown steals) | Â | |
14:26 | +2 | Cameron Brown makes two point layup | 9-12 | |
14:12 | +2 | Eric Dixon makes two point jump shot (Collin Gillespie assists) | 9-14 | |
13:46 | +2 | Jordan Hall makes two point jump shot | 11-14 | |
13:07 | Â | Collin Gillespie turnover (out of bounds) | Â | |
13:07 | Â | Jordan Hall offensive foul | Â | |
13:07 | Â | Jordan Hall turnover | Â | |
12:45 | +2 | Collin Gillespie makes two point jump shot | 11-16 | |
12:25 | Â | Jack Forrest misses three point jump shot | Â | |
12:23 | Â | Collin Gillespie defensive rebound | Â | |
12:16 | Â | Justin Moore misses two point jump shot | Â | |
12:14 | Â | Kacper Klaczek defensive rebound | Â | |
12:08 | Â | Taylor Funk misses three point jump shot | Â | |
12:06 | Â | Wildcats defensive rebound | Â | |
11:53 | +2 | Jermaine Samuels makes two point layup | 11-18 | |
11:28 | Â | Jordan Hall turnover (lost ball) (Brandon Slater steals) | Â | |
11:21 | Â | Justin Moore misses three point jump shot | Â | |
11:19 | Â | Jack Forrest defensive rebound | Â | |
10:55 | Â | Jack Forrest turnover (out of bounds) | Â | |
10:55 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
10:43 | Â | Brandon Slater turnover (traveling) | Â | |
10:21 | Â | Cameron Brown turnover (lost ball) (Eric Dixon steals) | Â | |
10:15 | Â | Collin Gillespie turnover (bad pass) | Â | |
10:04 | Â | Jordan Hall misses three point jump shot | Â | |
10:02 | Â | Collin Gillespie defensive rebound | Â | |
9:55 | +3 | Chris Arcidiacono makes three point jump shot (Brandon Slater assists) | 11-21 | |
9:35 | Â | Cameron Brown turnover (lost ball) | Â | |
9:21 | Â | Brandon Slater misses two point jump shot | Â | |
9:19 | Â | Taylor Funk defensive rebound | Â | |
9:11 | Â | Jordan Hall misses three point jump shot | Â | |
9:09 | Â | Justin Moore defensive rebound | Â | |
8:57 | Â | Collin Gillespie misses two point jump shot | Â | |
8:55 | Â | Hawks defensive rebound | Â | |
8:36 | Â | Dahmir Bishop misses three point jump shot | Â | |
8:34 | Â | Justin Moore defensive rebound | Â | |
8:29 | Â | Cameron Brown personal foul (Justin Moore draws the foul) | Â | |
8:26 | +3 | Collin Gillespie makes three point jump shot (Brandon Slater assists) | 11-24 | |
8:06 | Â | Cameron Brown turnover (bad pass) (Brandon Slater steals) | Â | |
7:54 | Â | Dahmir Bishop shooting foul (Jermaine Samuels draws the foul) | Â | |
7:54 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
7:54 | +1 | Jermaine Samuels makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-25 | |
7:54 | +1 | Jermaine Samuels makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-26 | |
7:41 | Â | Jermaine Samuels personal foul (Ejike Obinna draws the foul) | Â | |
7:36 | +2 | Ejike Obinna makes two point dunk (Jordan Hall assists) | 13-26 | |
7:11 | Â | Jermaine Samuels misses three point jump shot | Â | |
7:09 | Â | Jordan Hall defensive rebound | Â | |
7:08 | Â | Brandon Slater personal foul (Jordan Hall draws the foul) | Â | |
6:42 | Â | Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot | Â | |
6:40 | Â | Ejike Obinna offensive rebound | Â | |
6:31 | Â | Jack Forrest misses three point jump shot | Â | |
6:29 | Â | Justin Moore defensive rebound | Â | |
6:19 | Â | Brandon Slater misses three point jump shot | Â | |
6:17 | Â | Taylor Funk defensive rebound | Â | |
6:09 | +3 | Jordan Hall makes three point jump shot | 16-26 | |
5:46 | Â | Justin Moore misses two point layup | Â | |
5:44 | Â | Jack Forrest defensive rebound | Â | |
5:36 | +2 | Ejike Obinna makes two point jump shot (Jordan Hall assists) | 18-26 | |
5:09 | +2 | Eric Dixon makes two point jump shot (Justin Moore assists) | 18-28 | |
5:09 | +2 | Eric Dixon makes two point jump shot (Justin Moore assists) | 18-28 | |
4:48 | Â | Jack Forrest misses two point jump shot | Â | |
4:45 | Â | Eric Dixon defensive rebound | Â | |
4:44 | Â | Eric Dixon turnover (bad pass) (Cameron Brown steals) | Â | |
4:32 | Â | Jordan Hall misses two point jump shot | Â | |
4:32 | Â | Ejike Obinna offensive rebound | Â | |
4:32 | Â | Brandon Slater shooting foul (Jordan Hall draws the foul) | Â | |
4:32 | +1 | Jordan Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-28 | |
4:32 | +1 | Jordan Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-28 | |
4:15 | Â | Collin Gillespie misses two point jump shot | Â | |
4:13 | Â | Taylor Funk defensive rebound | Â | |
4:04 | +2 | Jordan Hall makes two point jump shot | 22-28 | |
3:42 | Â | Justin Moore turnover (lost ball) (Taylor Funk steals) | Â | |
3:35 | Â | Jack Forrest misses three point jump shot | Â | |
3:33 | Â | Justin Moore defensive rebound | Â | |
3:26 | Â | Eric Dixon misses three point jump shot | Â | |
3:24 | Â | Taylor Funk defensive rebound | Â | |
3:08 | Â | Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot | Â | |
3:06 | Â | Chris Arcidiacono defensive rebound | Â | |
2:56 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
2:49 | Â | Collin Gillespie misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:47 | Â | Cameron Brown defensive rebound | Â | |
2:31 | Â | Taylor Funk misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:30 | Â | Hawks offensive rebound | Â | |
2:30 | Â | Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree personal foul | Â | |
2:12 | Â | Jordan Hall misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:10 | Â | Collin Gillespie defensive rebound | Â | |
2:04 | Â | Justin Moore misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:02 | Â | Ejike Obinna defensive rebound | Â | |
1:46 | Â | Taylor Funk misses two point jump shot | Â | |
1:44 | Â | Chris Arcidiacono defensive rebound | Â | |
1:34 | +3 | Collin Gillespie makes three point jump shot | 22-31 | |
1:04 | Â | Taylor Funk misses three point jump shot | Â | |
1:02 | Â | Chris Arcidiacono defensive rebound | Â | |
0:43 | +3 | Collin Gillespie makes three point jump shot (Justin Moore assists) | 22-34 | |
0:23 | Â | Jordan Hall turnover (traveling) | Â | |
0:04 | Â | Collin Gillespie misses two point jump shot | Â | |
0:02 | Â | Jermaine Samuels offensive rebound | Â |