Temple beats La. Tech, reaches NIT semis

Philadelphia, PA -- Quenton DeCosey registered a double- double with 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Temple Owls dismissed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 77-59, in the quarterfinals of the 2015 NIT from the Liacouras Center on Wednesday night.

DeCosey, who shot 7-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 behind the 3-point line, was joined in double figures by Jesse Morgan and Will Cummings with 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the Owls (26-10).

With the victory Temple, which has made a 17-game improvement on its win total from the 2013-14 campaign when it finished just 9-22, heads to New York City and face off against the Miami-Florida Hurricanes in the semifinals of the tourney, for the right to play for the title on April 2.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs (27-9) was Erik McCree with 14 points, followed by Michale Kyser and Raheem Appleby with 10 apiece.

Shooting an impressive 51.7 percent from the floor, which included 5-of-9 behind the 3-point line in the first half, Temple moved out to a 41-33 advantage at the break. It also helped that the Owls suffered just a single turnover through the first 20 minutes of action.

With less than nine minutes gone by in the second half, Tech's Kenneth Smith (eight points, five assists), the Conference USA Player of the Year, went down on a drive to the basket, suffering what was later reported to be a left ankle injury. He remained on the floor while play continued at the other end and was then tended to by the Louisiana Tech staff.

Smith was carried off during the timeout and taken directly to the locker room and did not return. When Smith left the Bulldogs trailed 61-47.

With their floor leader no longer available, the visitors hit only 34.5 percent from the field, 1-of-7 beyond the arc, in the second half.

The Owls, who suffered only five miscues the entire night, converted 9-of-18 shots beyond the arc as they led from start to finish.

A two-time champion in this tournament, Temple has the distinction of claiming the very first NIT title back in 1938. The Owls took home the trophy in 1969 as well.

These teams met earlier this season, with Temple posting an 82-75 win as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, in what was the first-ever meeting between the programs.

Villanova takes down Lafayette in easy NCAA test

Pittsburgh, PA -- Dylan Ennis led a razor-sharp Villanova offense with 16 points and the top-seeded Wildcats rolled to a 93-52 win over Lafayette in the NCAA Tournament East Region second round.

The Wildcats looked every bit the part of a national championship contender in their tournament opener, shooting a torrid 63.2 percent from the field and going 11-of-22 from 3-point range while committing just eight turnovers in an overwhelming performance.

"I think we are offensively playing as well as we have all season," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "It's a good, good time to do it."

Daniel Ochefu chipped in 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and Ryan Arcidiacono had 13 points for Villanova (33-2), which will take a school-record 16-game win streak into Saturday's Round of 32 matchup with either North Carolina State or LSU.

Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston added 12 points each while finishing a combined 10-of-13 from the floor.

Dan Trist paced 16th-seeded Lafayette (20-13), the champions of the Patriot League Tournament, with 18 points and Seth Hinrichs netted 13 for the Leopards.

The overmatched Leopards never posed a threat for Villanova, which began the game on an 11-2 run and owned a 19-8 lead midway through the first half prior to breaking the contest wide open.

Kris Jenkins buried back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite a 13-0 stretch in which the Wildcats scored on five consecutive possessions. Josh Hart capped the surge with a triple of his own, staking Villanova to a commanding 34-13 advantage with six minutes still to play in the period.

"We know what kind of team they were. We have a lot of respect for them. They came into our house last year and gave us a great battle," Hilliard said of Lafayette. "We were down late in the game and we knew if we didn't come in and kind of play defense the way we were supposed to, it could be an easy, closer game. It was great to come out and kind of jump on them from the start."

The Wildcats closed out the stanza on an 8-0 spurt to head into the break up by a 49-26 count, having shot 62.5 percent for the half and outscoring Lafayette 24-10 in the paint.

"I think playing the No. 2 team in the nation, we were a little nervous," Hinrichs admitted. "But we just didn't execute to come out to start. We knew we had to get off to a good start and we didn't do that tonight."

Villanova remained hot coming out of the intermission, knocking down its first six field goal attempts of the second half and stretching the lead to 63-30. Arcidiacono hit three of those shots while accounting for seven points during a 14-2 run.

Lafayette never got the margin under 31 points from there, with the Wildcats going ahead by as much as 45 when an Ennis trey made the score 84-39 with 8:59 remaining.

"It's hard to come back against them. They handle the ball so well," Leopards head coach Fran O'Hanlon remarked. "We knew coming in here how well they handle the ball. It's not like we could pressure them or trap them. They just move it too well."

Notes: Villanova posted a 75-59 win over Lafayette when the teams squared off at the Pavilion in the 2013-14 season opener ... O'Hanlon was a guard for Villanova from 1967-70 and still holds the Wildcats' single-game record for assists. He was inducted into the school's athletic Hall of Fame in 1992 ... The Leopards fell to 0-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and were making their first appearance since 2000 ... Villanova has now won 30 straight games in which it has scored 70 points or more ... The Wildcats improved to 17-0 all-time against current Patriot League members but had two close calls against the league during the regular season, earning a 77-66 win over Lehigh and a 72-65 decision over Bucknell.

'Nova wraps up second straight Big East crown

Cincinnati, OH -- It wasn't at home, but there's no doubt that Jay Wright and the rest of his coaching staff and his team will take it.

Dylan Ennis posted 16 points, five rebounds and five assists and No. 6 Villanova went into Cintas Center and knocked off Xavier 78-66 to win its 10th straight game.

Ryan Arcidiacono had 15 points and Kris Jenkins went 4-for-7 from distance for 14 for Villanova (27-2, 14-2 Big East), which wrapped up the Big East regular- season crown for the second consecutive year with Saturday's win.

The Wildcats had already earned a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, which will take place from March 11-14.

Jalen Reynolds made all six of his shots to lead Xavier with 15 points, and Trevon Bluiett netted 12. Dee Davis tallied seven points, nine assists and six rebounds in the setback.

Xavier (18-12, 8-9) had won nine of its last 11 games at home against ranked opponents.

The Musketeers led by as many as nine early in the second half before Villanova charged back. The Wildcats trailed 54-53 just past the midway point when Jenkins got hot, sinking two 3-pointers before the under-8 media timeout. Out of the huddle, Phil Booth hit from deep to extend Villanova's lead to 62-57.

Arcidiacono then drilled a 3 and went 2-for-3 from the foul line after drawing a foul. Josh Hart's triple on the next trip down gave 'Nova an 11- point advantage.

Jenkins and Daniel Ochefu, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, both made two from the line in the final 1:13 to seal the win.

"They're as good as any team in the country," Xavier head coach Chris Mack said of Villanova.

Xavier got a boost from its reserves in the first half. Reynolds, James Farr and J.P. Macura came off the bench and scored a combined 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting to help the Musketeers to a 40-33 halftime lead.

Notes: Villanova forward JayVaughn Pinkston played despite accusations that he violated his probation on Friday. Pinkston was involved in an altercation at an off-campus party in 2010 and was suspended for the entire 2010-11 season ... Villanova upped its record to 4-0 in the series since Xavier joined the Big East ... Villanova scored 20 points off 14 turnovers.

Bembry explodes as SJU takes surprise victory at UMass

Amherst, MA -- Just because the countdown to the end of this lost season is near, doesn't mean the Hawk has any shot at expiring.

At times the only player who has shown enough talent and drive to take over a game by himself, DeAndre' Bembry poured in a career-high 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Saint Joseph's defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen, 82-71, in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup at the Mullins Center.

The win snapped an eight-game road losing slide for the Hawks (12-15, 6-9 A-10), who also received 15 points courtesy of Isaiah Miles. Chris Wilson netted 13 points, while Aaron Brown scored 11 points off the bench for Saint Joseph's.

SJU also stemmed a three-game overall losing streak, since beating Rhode Island 65-64 at Hagan Arena on Feb. 11.

Cady Lalanne paced the Minutemen (16-12, 9-6) as he registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Maxie Esho and Demetrius Dyson contributed 12 points apiece, while Trey Davis recorded a double-double of his own with 11 points and 10 assists. Donte Clark chimed in with 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor for UMass.

Saint Joseph's took a 36-35 lead into halftime after it connected on 42.3 percent of its field goal attempts and converted 9-of-11 shots at the free- throw line in the opening stanza. The Minutemen were limited to 36.4 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

UMass continued to struggled after the break as it shot 31.4 percent from the field, including a 2-of-12 clip from behind the 3-point line. The Hawks made good on 4-of-5 tries from beyond the arc and outscored the hosts, 22-16, in the paint in the second stanza.

The Hawks finished with an 18-6 edge in points off turnovers. They'll host Richmond on Saturday, La Salle next Wednesday before completing the regular season at URI on March 7.

Wildcats rout Providence, earn share of Big East title

Villanova, PA -- Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston shined on senior night in No. 6 Villanova's 89-61 win over No. 25 Providence.

Hilliard's 24 points with six 3-pointers led all scorers and Pinkston added 16 points and eight rebounds, including the 700th of his career, to help the Wildcats (26-2, 13-2 Big East) clinch at least a share of a second straight Big East title.

"These are two guys who never thought of giving in on Villanova," said Wildcats coach Jay Wright. "It really is special for me because of where they have been and what they have brought us from."

Ryan Arcidiacono netted 13 points, and Kris Jenkins and Phil Booth added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Friars (19-9, 9-6) never led despite getting 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from Tyler Harris. LaDontae Henton and Kyron Cartwright each scored 12 points, while Kris Dunn was limited to four points.

Providence pulled within six several times in the opening moments of the second half but could not overcome Villanova's long-range shooting.

Hilliard hit a pair of free throws and went on to score 14 points during a 25-6 Wildcats run to put the game away. He scored the first four points and later netted nine in a row with three shots from beyond the arc.

The Wildcats led by as many as 30 when Jenkins hit a 3 with 4:20 to play. Even after Hilliard and Pinkston were taken out of the game to standing ovations with three minutes left, Villanova kept the pressure on with 3s from Josh Hart on back-to-back possessions.

"It's amazing how teams around the country and all the speaking heads, who are supposed to be professional, but they aren't talking about Villanova as a No. 1 seed," said Friars coach Ed Cooley. "They're playing as well as anybody in the country and have a chance to make a magical, magical run in March."

Villanova scored the first nine points of the game with a sloppy start from Providence. The Friars committed five turnovers in the first four minutes before a timeout and Cartwright jumper got them on track.

The Wildcats scored 14 points off nine Providence turnovers in the first half, but the Friars used a late surge to narrow their deficit. Ben Bentil's 3 with two minutes to play started a 7-0 run that cut Villanova's lead to 34-25 at the break.
 
Notes: Villanova has won 26 games in a row at The Pavilion since losing to Providence on Feb. 2, 2013 ... Providence never led ... The Wildcats shot 13-for-25 from 3-point range and went 26-of-31 from the free-throw line ... Villanova's next game is at Xavier on Saturday while Providence will host Marquette on Sunday.

Villanova dispatches Marquette, reaches 25 wins again

Milwaukee, WI -- Darrun Hilliard scored 17 points and No. 6 Villanova connected on 11 shots from long distance in an 87-76 victory over Marquette on Saturday.

Ryan Arcidiacono scored 16 points for the Wildcats (25-2, 12-2 Big East), who have won eight straight since a loss to Georgetown on Jan. 19. Dylan Ennis had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while JayVaughn Pinkston gave 14 points and nine boards in the win.

JaJuan Johnson recorded a game-high 20 points and five assists for the Golden Eagles (11-15, 3-11), who have lost their last three games. Luke Fischer had 17 points and five boards in defeat.

Villanova trailed for the first several minutes of the game, but four straight points from Pinkston gave the team its first lead of the game.

The game stayed close for the next several minutes until the Wildcats used a 12-0 run to open a 41-27 lead after Hilliard hit a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to play in the first half.

Marquette scored the next five points to keep it close, but Villanova still took a 43-34 lead into the break.

Arcidiacono, who was just 1-of-5 from the field in the first half, warmed quickly in the second half. He drilled a 3-pointer on the first Villanova possession after intermission and then made another after Marquette responded with a triple of its own by Duane Wilson. A Pinkston bucket on the next offensive possession brought a Marquette time out to stem the momentum of an 8-3 Wildcats' surge.

"A key was Arch coming out at the start of the second half and hitting those threes," stated 'Nova head coach Jay Wright. "It created some separation for us and kept them from getting this place going. This was a great college atmosphere in here today. If they had been able to come out at the start of the second half and gotten this place going, it could have been tough."

Villanova kept the pressure on and steadily increased its lead, and a Kris Jenkins free throw gave the team a 63-46 lead seven minutes in.

The Eagles scored the next seven points, and were still down by 10 after Johnson put in a layup with just under eight minutes to play, but the Wildcats scored the next six points to put the game away.

Notes: The Wildcats reached the 25-win plateau for the second straight season and for the fifth time in the last 10 seasons ... The program's all-time record for victories in a single season is 30, reached in 2008-09 ... Villanova hosts Providence on Tuesday ... Marquette plays at Butler on Wednesday ... Villanova leads the series with Marquette, 16-9 ... Villanova shots 47.1 percent and held a 39-27 rebounding advantage.

Temple folds up late against SMU for second time

Dallas, TX -- Nic Moore helped SMU overcome another huge second-half hole against Temple.

The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year candidate Moore had 18 points and four assists as the 21st-ranked Mustangs defeated the Owls 67-58 on Thursday night.

SMU rallied from a 10-point second half deficit in this one after storming back from a 13-point gap in a 60-55 victory in Philadelphia on Jan. 14.

"We picked up defensively," SMU coach Larry Brown said of the second half. "We really got after them. We created some turnovers and got some easy shots."

Cannen Cunningham netted 10 points for the first-place Mustangs (22-5, 13-2 AAC), who have won four straight and 20 of their last 22 games.

Will Cummings was the lone double-digit scorer for Temple (19-8, 10-4), tallying 14 points to go with seven steals and seven assists.

The Owls had a seven-game winning streak snapped.

"We needed to do a better job defensively late in the game and we needed to move the ball a little bit better on offense," TU coach Fran Dunphy said.

Jesse Morgan nailed a deep right wing 3-pointer just in front of the SMU logo with the shot clock running down to stake Temple to a 50-49 edge with 4:38 left. Obi Enechionyia's right baseline dunk a possession later extended the lead to three, but the Mustangs ripped off the next 10 points seize control.

Ryan Manuel jumpstarted the surge with a right corner 3 and added another one from the same spot to cap it and give SMU a 59-52 cushion with 1:22 remaining.

The Owls never got closer than five the rest of the way as the Mustangs sunk all eight of their foul shots down the stretch.

Earlier, Morgan finished off a 9-2 Temple spurt with a 3 for a 28-19 advantage late in the opening half and the Owls led 33-25 at the break.

Jaylen Bond, who snatched six of his 11 rebounds on the offensive end, tipped home Cummings' layup attempt for a 37-27 Temple margin at the 16:05 mark of the second half.

Markus Kennedy's layup snapped an 8:37 SMU field-goal drought, with his basket as part of a trio of Mustangs buckets in less than a minute to whittle the gap to 39-36.

Moore scored the final eight points of a 17-4 SMU burst for a 46-43 edge with 8:33 to play, its first lead of the contest.

Notes: SMU shot 48.9 percent (21-of-43) from the field, while the Owls finished at 40.7 percent (22-of-54) ... Temple has dropped 23 straight road games against top-25 opponents ... The Mustangs were 5-of-11 from beyond the arc and 20- of-33 (60.6 percent) from the foul line ... ESPN color commentator Bobby Knight, at one point, became agitated at a student sitting in front of him blocking his view while calling the game.

Villanova steals one at Butler

Indianapolis, IN -- Darrun Hilliard pumped in a career-high 31 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds of sixth- ranked Villanova's 68-65 win over No. 18 Butler on Saturday.

The Butler defense made a crucial mistake late in the game by not covering the hottest shooter in Hinkle Fieldhouse. A pair of defenders got caught running at Ryan Arcidiacono, who sent a pass to a wide open Hilliard for the winning jumper from the right wing.

Hilliard went 9-of-16 from the floor, including 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs called a perfect play with less than two seconds left. Kelan Martin ended up getting a nice look at a tying trey after a full-court pass from underneath their own basket, but his attempt was well off the mark as Villanova held on.

JayVaughn Pinkston added 12 points for the Wildcats (23-2, 10-2 Big East), who have won six straight.
Alex Barlow and Kellen Dunham each scored 19 points in the loss. The Bulldogs (18-7, 8-4) had their five-game winning streak halted.

Butler scored the first six points of the second half to take a 28-27 lead. Dunham netted the final four of that run and ended up scoring 10 straight points as the Bulldogs gained some separation.

Hilliard dropped in consecutive 3-pointers later on to give Villanova a 50-48 lead with 10 minutes to play. The Wildcats continued to pour in shots from beyond the arc, as Dylan Ennis' trey pushed the lead to 53-49.

Roosevelt Jones, one of Butler's top scorers, made his first basket with 5:41 to play that brought the hosts within one. Barlow canned a 3 with 2:44 left that gave the Bulldogs a 63-62 lead. Barlow then committed a shooting foul of Hilliard shooting a 3, and Hilliard made each free throw to put Villanova back in front.

The Bulldogs had a pair of chances on the following possession. Andrew Chrabascz missed from in close, grabbed his own rebound and kicked it out to Barlow, who was short on his 3-point attempt. Jones tied the game with a layup after Hilliard was whistled for a double dribble with 17 seconds on the clock.

It was an offensive struggle in the early going, as Butler grabbed an 11-10 lead following Martin's 3-pointer midway through the first half. Four Wildcats contributed to an 11-4 run later in the half that helped Villanova to a 27-19 edge, then Barlow nailed a trey to close the Butler gap just before halftime.

Villanova held the Bulldogs to 29.6 percent shooting in the opening half.

Notes: Jones finished with six points on 2-of-11 shooting in the loss ... Villanova went 23-of-50 from the floor, and held Butler to 21-of-51 shooting ... Hilliard had eight rebounds ... Kameron Woods ripped a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

La Salle caps Big 5 slate by downing SJU

Philadelphia, PA -- Jerrell Wright finished with a double- double of 19 points and 10 rebounds as the La Salle Explorers knocked off their Big 5 rival, the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 53-48, in Atlantic 10 Conference play at Tom Gola Arena.

Cleon Roberts netted 14 points for La Salle (11-9, 3-4 A-10) while Steve Zack led the Explorers in rebounding with 12, but shot only 1-of-7 from the floor. Khalid Lewis contributed to the victory with eight points, five boards and five assists.

DeAndre Bembry led the Hawks (8-11, 2-5) with 20 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Isaiah Miles finished with 10 points and seven boards in the loss.

Phil Martelli's squad finished City Series play 2-2, while Dr. John Giannini's charged ended up with the same record after beating Penn prior to Tuesday.

The Hawks held a 27-18 advantage going into halftime after they limited the Explorers to just 6-of-24 shooting from the field in the opening period, which included a 1-of-8 mark from 3-point distance. Saint Joseph's netted 35.5 percent of its field goal attempts, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

La Salle turned it around in the final period, as it connected on 48.2 percent of its field goal tries. The Hawks were held to a 33.3 shooting percentage in the second half, a mere a 1-of-10 mark from 3-point range.

The Explorers, who trailed by as many as 15 late in the first half, outscored the visitors at the free-throw line, 11-2.

Home fans added some spice to the long-time rivalry by staging a mock funeral for the iconic Hawk, who is a fixture at all SJU games and is known for his constant wing-flapping during play.

Wildcats hold Sunday feast on Bluejays

Villanova, PA -- Darrun Hilliard scored a season-best 24 points and fourth-ranked Villanova blitzed Creighton on Sunday, holding the Bluejays to 37.3 percent shooting in a 71-50 win at the Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

Ryan Arcidiacono added 10 points as five players had between five and eight for the Wildcats (18-2, 5-2 Big East), who shook off a rare 20-point loss against Georgetown on Monday.

James Milliken scored 13 points to pace Creighton (9-12, 0-8), which remained winless in league play and has matched a program record with nine straight losses.

The Jesuit program based in Omaha beat 'Nova twice last season and produced the Wildcats' last true home loss, a 96-68 drubbing on Jan. 20, 2014. 

"I've got good kids on my team and we've got a good culture in our locker room," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. "I think that's allowed us to stay relatively together through some challenging times."

Villanova locked down over the first 20 minutes and just about put the game out of reach by halftime. Creighton had nearly as many turnovers (12) as points (14) at the break, and would have had more if it wasn't for Avery Dingman's 3 just before the buzzer. No Bluejay had more than one field goal or three points at halftime.

"Tonight was a really good defensive effort for us," said Villanova coach Jay Wright. "I think Georgetown exposed (us) so that is what we really focused on this week."

The Wildcats scored the game's first 15 points. Creighton countered with the next six, then went cold again. Hilliard hit a pair of 3s during a 10-0 run late in the half that made it 29-11 before Dingman's trey cut the deficit to 15 at intermission.

Creighton was within 11 points following Milliken's three-point play early in the second half. Villanova scored nine of the next 11 points, however, and the lead was back to 18.

Notes: Hilliard was shooting 7-for-25 over his last three games. He hit 9-of-15, including 6-of-10 from distance, in this one ... Villanova has won 29 of 30 home games against unranked opponents ... Creighton's only previous nine-game losing streak came in 1995.

La Salle beats Fordham as L-Train & Co. honored at halftime

Courtesy of La Salle athletics

Philadelphia, PA -- Sophomore Jordan Price finished with 15 points to lead the La Salle Explorers to a 60-49 victory over the Fordham Rams in an Atlantic 10 Conference battle at Tom Gola Arena.

It was a fortuitous result for a program which decided to dip into its glorious past on Saturday afternoon, honoring the mythical 1989-90 team which saw its memorable season come to a swift halt early in the NCAA Tournament. 

For the Explorers (10-8, 2-3 A-10), Cleon Roberts added 12 points with six rebounds and Jerrell Wright chipped in with 11 points. The hosts' defensive prowess can't be overlooked, as the 49 points marked the fewest La Salle has allowed since giving up 44 in a win over UMass in February of 2006.

Eric Paschall led all scorers with 25 points to pace the Rams (5-11, 0-5), while Ryan Rhoomes finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Explorers opened the game on a 17-2 run thanks to eight points from Price, and went into halftime holding a 30-21 advantage. They hit on 44 percent of their shots from the field, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. The Rams shot just 32 percent from the field, including 2-of-10 from 3-point range.

In the break, the school paused to recognize former head coach William "Speedy" Morris along with Lionel Simmons, Doug Overton, Randy Woods and the rest of the team which took the MAAC playoff title against the current squad's Saturday opponent.

Morris' team, playing out of the now-demolished Convention Hall, went 30-1 in the regular season with their sole loss coming to Loyola Marymount by a 121-116 count. The Explorers were a #4 seed in the East Regional but fell in the second round, 79-75, to Clemson after beating Southern Miss by 13 in their first contest.

The Rams scored the first two baskets of the second half to cut the deficit to just five points but never got closer than that, as the Explorers held them off to secure the win and keep the Rams winless in league play. La Salle connected on 36.8 percent of its shots in the period, but made 14-of-19 from the free-throw line to stay ahead. Fordham hit 31.4 percent of its attempts in the frame.

The Explorers finished the game with a 19-8 scoring advantage at the free- throw line. The Rams did have a slight rebounding edge, 38-36.

Hawks get past Rams in battle of A-10 basement dwellers

Philadelphia, PA -- Chris Wilson scored 23 points to lead his lowly Saint Joseph's Hawks to their first Atlantic 10 Conference win this season and a trip out of the conference basement in a 66-55 victory over the Fordham Rams at Hagan Arena on Wednesday night.

 DeAndre' Bembry (13 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and Aaron Brown (12 points, eight rebounds) also netted double figures for Saint Joseph's (7-8, 1-3 A-10) in the victory.

Fordham (5-10, 0-4) was led in scoring by Eric Paschall who had 16 points. Bryan Smith (14 points) and Mandell Thomas (10 points) also contributed to the Rams' scoring effort.

These two Jesuit institutions separated by a little more than 100 miles met for the 37th time overall and the Hawks won for the 10th consecutive time and upped their all-time record against the Rams to 31-6 including a 17-1 mark as a true home team.  They will meet for the second and final time in the regular season on Feb. 15 at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx.

Neither team shot well in the opening period as the Hawks went just 33.3 percent from the field and Fordham connected on only 29 percent of its first- half tries. Saint Joseph's did knock down five 3-point tries, and held a slim 25-21 lead going into halftime.

Both teams were much better offensively in the second half, as Fordham made 52.4 percent of its tries from the field and the Hawks converted 45.8 percent of their field goal attempts. But Saint Joseph's built on its lead by connecting on 17-of-20 free-throw attempts in the closing 20 minutes, securing its first league win this season.

The Hawks dominated the rebounding battle, 42-25, and had more second-chance points (14-3) than Fordham.

Owls fall to Tulsa as Cummings exits with injury

Philadelphia, PA -- Shaquille Harrison scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane defeated the Temple Owls, 63-56, in an American Athletic Conference battle at the Liacouras Center on Saturday afternoon. 

Harrison's day was aided by a 10-of-12 performance from the free-throw line. James Woodward added 13 points for the Golden Hurricane (10-5, 3-0 A-10). The win was the fifth in a row for Tulsa.

As for the Owls, (12-5, 3-1), Jaylen Bond scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds and Quenton DeCosey added 12 points. Jesse Morgan made just one of his 17 field goal attempts and came up empty on 13 shots behind the 3-point line on the day.

In the first half Tulsa shot a dismal 16.0 percent from the field and missed all seven shots from 3-point range. Temple shot 28.6 percent from the field and 27.3 percent beyond the arc as it took a 23-17 lead into the break.

The Golden Hurricane knocked down an impressive 56.0 percent from the field and 4-of-8 on the perimeter in the second half as they overcame an 11-point deficit in order to secure the win. 

Temple didn't help its cause with ice-cold shooting from that point, going more than eight minutes without a field goal while Tulsa used a 19-1 run to take the lead for good. The sudden burst by the visitors came after Owls senior point guard Will Cummings left the game with a strained muscle in his lower left leg and was pronounced day-to-day.

Even after that, the Owls didn't quit. DeCosey hit a three-pointer that narrowed the margin to four, 56-52 with 2:14 remaining. Josh Brown went 2-of-2 at the line with 26 seconds left to cut the deficit to three, but it was as close as Temple could get. 

The Hurricane made 4-of-6 at the line in the final 25 seconds while the Owls missed three shots from the field.
 
Temple, which forced 18 turnovers, connected on just 5-of-27 chances behind the 3-point line on the day.

Hawks put up another poor A-10 showing, lose to VCU

Richmond,  VA -- Melvin Johnson and  Treveon Graham led a torrid  display from 3-point range that carried No. 20 VCU to an 89-74 victory over Saint Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 clash.

Johnson  knocked down  6-of-7  attempts  from beyond  the  arc  in a  20-point performance,  while Graham went  4-of-6 en route to 19 points to help the Rams avenge their loss to the Hawks in last year's A-10 Championship Game.

As  a team VCU (13-3, 3-0 A-10) made good on 12-of-23 3-pointers to extend its current win streak to eight games.

DeAndre  Bembry finished  with 16 points and eight rebounds for Saint Joseph's (6-8,  0-3). Aaron Brown  added 14 points and Isaiah Miles had 12 in the loss, the Hawks' fourth straight.

VCU  was on  the mark from the  perimeter right from the outset, burying three consecutive  treys as  part  of an  11-2 game-opening  run.  A 3-pointer  from Johnson  near the  midway stage of the  first half extended the lead to 20-10, though  Saint Joseph's countered with an 11-2 spurt sparked by Miles and Chris
Wilson.

The  Rams  then ripped  off the next  10 points, with  Doug Brooks' triple and Terry  Larrier's  3-point play igniting the  surge, to claim a 32-21 advantage with five minutes left in the half.

Graham  and  Johnson closed out  the period with two  more threes in the final minute  to  put VCU up 46-30  at the break, capping  a first half in which the Rams hit on 8-of-14 tries from long distance.

VCU  continued to pad its margin after the intermission on the strength of its outside  shooting, as  back-to-back 3-pointers from Johnson increased the lead to 57-33 early in the second half.

The  Rams  were ahead  by as many  as 27  points and were  up 80-56 with seven minutes left before Bembry made two threes to lead the Hawks on a 10-0 run.

Notes: The  win was the  150th for VCU head coach Shaka Smart, making him only one of six  Division I coaches  to reach the milestone in their first six seasons ... Rams  guard Briante Weber recorded five steals to move into sole possession of fourth  place in  DI history in that  category (358) ... The Rams have trailed
for  a total  of only  36  seconds during  their eight-game  streak ...  Saint Joseph's  0-3 start  in A-10 play is  the program's worst since it dropped the first eight games of the 2010-11 season.

Villanova beats NJIT, on verge of school record

Villanova, PA -- Dylan Ennis led six players in double figures with 17 points, as No. 7 Villanova subdued NJIT by a 92-67 count at the Pavilion in a game which was much closer than the score indicated -- or the matchup might suggest -- for quite some time.

Ryan Arcidiacono added 16 for the Wildcats (12-0), who trailed by as many as seven early in the second half but used a surge shortly thereafter which ultimately led them to victory.

Phil Booth contributed 14 points and Daniel Ochefu picked up 13 points with 10 rebounds for Villanova, which hadn't won 12 games to begin a season since 1961-62.

"That first half was a recipe for an upset," said Villanova coach Jay Wright. "That was how they beat Michigan. We came ready to play. We jumped out to an eight point lead. But we were very aggressive in pressing them and it opened up the floor for them. They have a style that can upset teams that are bigger. They gave us a lot of trouble. They're good."

Damon Lynn provided 13 points for the Highlanders (5-8), who fell short in their bid for a second shocking road victory against a ranked opponent this year. Tim Coleman poured in 12 and Winfield Willis had 10 before fouling out.

Coleman's jumper put the visitors ahead by a 44-41 count at the break, and they scored the first four points of the second half to make it a seven-point spread on a bucket by Odera Nweke.

However, eight in a row from Villanova, capped by an Ennis lay-in, made it a one-point margin with 13:52 left. NJIT countered immediately on an Osa Izevbuwa triple to go back on top 51-49.

'Nova gained separation with 12 straight from there, as Ennis kicked it off with a layup, Arcidiacono added a basket and followed with a trey, then Booth added a shot from distance before Josh Hart completed the clip on two free throws with 10:29 to go.

Izevbuwa's shot proved to be the last time NJIT's deficit dipped below double digits. The Wildcats added a 15-3 run to turn the contest into a rout. Hart connected from beyond the arc to make it 77-56 with 4:59 left and the hosts cruised from there.

Villanova led 9-2 early on, but an 8-0 run by NJIT pulled it even, 15-15 on a bucket by Winfield just after the seven-minute mark.

Hart's first shot from distance gave the Wildcats a 26-20 edge, and the Highlanders remained close. Another three, this time from Kris Jenkins, provided a 36-30 edge for the hosts.

Coleman answered from beyond the arc to kick off a 14-5 run which gave them a three-point lead at halftime. Izevbuwa also converted a three-pointer during that surge.

Notes: Villanova can match a school record by winning its first 13 in a season for the first time since 1937-38 when it takes on Butler Dec. 31 ... Despite shooting 60 percent (15-of-25 in the first half), the Highlanders made only 9- of-31 in the second half ... NJIT memorably topped Michigan at Crisler Arena by a 72-70 count on Dec. 6 ... Big East player of the week JayVaughn Pinkston totaled 12 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe.

Cherry Bomb: Temple rips apart No. 10 Kansas

Philadelphia, PA -- A contest deemed too big for the small building on North Broad Street yielded surprising results at the other end of the thoroughfare.

Will Cummings had 19 points and Temple rolled to a 77-52 upset of No. 10 Kansas on Monday night for its first win over the Jayhawks in exactly 19 years.

The game was never close, with Cummings sparking a 12-2 run at the start and the Owls (8-4) pulling away to lead by as many as 30 down the stretch.

It came 19 years to the day since Temple's last win over Kansas, a 74-66 upset of the No. 1 Jayhawks in overtime on Dec. 22, 1995, during the inaugural Jimmy V Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Frank Mason III scored a game-high 20 points to lead Kansas (9-2), including 13 in the first half to keep the Jayhawks in the building.

Kansas had won eight in a row since its 72-40 loss to Kentucky on Nov. 18. 

The Jayhawks shot only 32 percent from the field.

Temple arrived to the Wells Fargo Center via the Broad Street Line, riding the underground  train  six miles from its  North Philadelphia campus to the South Philadelphia sports complex. The jubilation evident as the final seconds ticked away will be headed right back in the opposite direction to campus later tonight.

Cummings  led the Owls with 11 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer to cap the six-minute run at the beginning of the game.

The Owls led by 14 three times in the half, the last on Quenton DeCosey's free throws in the final two minutes.

Kansas  pulled within 35-25 at the break but got only as close as six early in the  second half.  Temple countered with an  11-2 run and kept its foot on the gas,  taking a  20-point lead on Jesse Morgan's 3-pointer from the left corner
with 9 1/2 minutes remaining.

DeCosey's dunk punctuated the rout, giving the Owls a 30-point lead with about a minute left. He scored 18 points in the win and Morgan had 17.

Notes: Kelly  Oubre Jr. scored nine points for the Jayhawks ... Jaylen Bond had eight points and 10 rebounds for the Owls ... Kansas had won the last three games in the  series ... The Jayhawks are off until they host Kent State on Dec. 30 ... Temple hosts Delaware State on Sunday.
 

Villanova blows doors off SJU in 'Holy War'

Villanova, PA -- Josh Hart scored 12 points with eight rebounds as 10th-ranked Villanova cruised to a 74-46 win over Saint Joseph's on Saturday in the 2014 edition of the Holy War from the Main Line.

Darrun Hilliard and Phil Booth each had 11 points for the Wildcats (8-0), who never trailed en route to extending their Big 5 winning streak to eight games.

'Nova was coming off an easy 84-70 win over La Salle on Wednesday night in the back end of a City Series doubleheader and didn't need to work as hard to take down their rivals in front of a friendly crowd. 

Ten Villanova players scored at least two points as head coach Jay Wright went deep into his bench, which nearly outscored the Hawks by itself. The Wildcats' reserves combined to contribute 40 points.

"I know the numbers don't show it, but they're a very good rebounding team. In the first half, I thought we did a really good job on the defensive glass, where they can get a lot of buckets on their offensive rebounding," said Wright. "Over time, we've got a lot of (veteran) guys and they've got a lot of younger guys and I thought that was the biggest factor."

DeAndre' Bembry led Saint Joseph's (4-4) with 13 points and Chris Wilson and Brendan Casper scored nine apiece.

The Wildcats opened the game on an 8-0 run and led 17-2 six minutes in after hitting three straight 3-pointers. Using their three-quarter court trap, forced the Hawks to commit 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and the Wildcats held a 16-6 edge in points off of miscues.

Hilliard knocked down a trey to make it 31-11 with 8:24 remaining, and Villanova carried a 44-24 lead into halftime.

The Hawks shot 26.5 percent in the second half and fell behind by as many as 31. Villanova used the first nine minutes of the second half to officially put things out of reach. The hosts held the Hawks to two free throws in that stretch, and JayVaughn Pinkston's slam made it 59-28 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the period.

 "I think that what they do has been so well-drilled that it's a pleasure to watch," said SJU head coach Phil Martelli. "It's not easy to coach against but it is a pleasure to watch. I'm really in awe of how they are playing the game, how unselfishly they play the game."

Notes: Saint Joseph's has lost five straight at The Pavilion and 11 of 15 overall against their suburban rivals since the start of the 2000-01 season ... Villanova scored 24 points off 21 Hawks turnovers ... The Wildcats made 8-of-15 3-pointers in the first half ... SJU hasn't beaten 'Nova since a 74-58 shocker at Hagan Arena on Dec. 17, 2011 and hasn't beaten them on Lancaster Avenue since a 74-67 result on Feb. 2, 2004, in the midst of the Hawks' run to the Elite Eight. 

10th-ranked Villanova takes care of La Salle

Philadelphia, PA -- Darrun Hilliard and Dylan Ennis each contributed 15 points as No. 10 Villanova remained unbeaten thanks to a 84-70 decision over rival La Salle in the Big 5 opener for both schools and the second of two City Series contests on Wednesday from Gola Arena.

Josh Hart and JayVaughn Pinkston poured in 12 points apiece, with Daniel Ochefu adding 10 and eight rebounds for the Wildcats (7-0), who next face Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon in the 2014 edition of the Holy War between the Catholic institutions.

That's a good road win for us," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We watched film of La Salle and knew that they were just not going to go away. They've got really good chemistry and (coach) John (Gianinni) is not going to let them quit. They're tough. To come in here and win a Big Five game against a team that I think is going to be very good is good for us."

Jerell Wright totaled a game-best 19 points for the Explorers (4-3), who take on Temple three days from now. Khalid Lewis picked up 17 points and Jordan Price had 10 in a losing cause.

Villanova led 4-0 early on but La Salle countered to go up 9-8 on a triple from Cleon Roberts.

Pinkston hit a bucket a short time later to fuel a 16-5 surge which sent the Wildcats on top 24-14 with 8:24 left in the half on back-to-back shots from Hart.

A Lewis shot closed the gap to 24-18, but Kris Jenkins drained a trey and Pinkston converted a three-point play and 'Nova was up 30-18, then the visitors' lead enlarged to 35-20 on a jumper from Ochefu with 4:30 remaining.

A triple from Hillard boosted Villanova's margin to 18, at 45-27, with just over a minute to play before intermission and that spread stood at the break after Pinkston converted a jumper to make it 47-29.

Price scored four straight and Wright added a layup to shrink La Salle's deficit to 51-40 less than five minutes into the second half.

However, Ennis hit from long distance on the next possession and within a span of four minutes a Ryan Arcidiacono basket boosted the 'Nova lead to 63-44.

"They did a really good job of taking away our threes, especially early," explained Wright. "It gave us driving lanes. These two (Hilliard and Ennis) really took advantage of that. I thought these guys recognized that really well. I thought that was a key. Usually that's tough to decipher -- that I can get to the rim on the first play without making a pass. These two did a great job of that."

Pinkston hit two from the line with 6:09 remaining and the Wildcats led by 20 for the first time, 74-54, before La Salle's last run -- an 11-2 burst capped by two Wright free throws -- pulled it to 80-70 with  2:10 to play.

The Explorers missed their final three shots while Ochefu and Pinkston hit easy buckets to close out the contest.

Notes: Villanova has won 12 of the last 13 meetings since December of 2002. La Salle's last win against 'Nova was 77-74 (OT) on Nov. 25, 2012 at the Pavilion ... The Explorers have dropped three in a row since opening the year with four wins ... The Wildcats scored 21 points off 13 La Salle turnovers ... Ennis led all players with nine assists.

SJU holds off Temple in Big Five opener

Philadelphia, PA -- December and it's City Series basketball again for the five member institutions as we approach three weeks to Christmas.

In the first of two contests between Philly college rivals on Wednesday night, Isaiah Miles scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Saint Joseph's Hawks held on for a 58-56 win over the Temple Owls in a Big 5 clash at Hagan Arena.

DeAndre' Bembry netted 11 points to go with seven rebounds for SJU (4-3), which faces an even larger matchup on Saturday afternoon against No. 10 Villanova in this season's revival of the Holy War. 

Quenton DeCosey had 22 points and Will Cummings tallied 13 for Temple (4-3), which also rests until Saturday when La Salle comes calling.

It appeared that SJU was going to coast to victory after the first half, The Hawks led, 34-22, at intermission, after holding Temple to just 33.3 percent shooting, while connecting on 43.8 percent themselves.

The Owls found their stroke in the second half, hitting 46.4 percent from the field, while the Hawks managed a total of six field goals in the frame. Temple cut its deficit to a single point with 30 seconds to play on a layup from Josh Brown.

Miles then split a pair of free-throws on the other end. Temple had two chances to tie the game in the final seconds, but Bembry blocked a shot attempt from Cummings and DeCosey couldn't hit a shot as time expired.

The Owls had 14 turnovers, while forcing only nine from the Hawks.

The Hawks held a 51-42 lead with 8:44 remaining, but went cold from the floor. SJU would go without a field goal the rest of the way, but converted 7-for-8 from the foul line to preserve the win.

During that stretch, Temple came within 57-56 with 30 seconds to play on a layup by Josh Brown. The Hawks turned the ball over on their next possession, but an offensive foul by Temple gave the ball back to SJU. Miles made 1-of-2 free throws with 11.7 seconds to go to provide the winning margin.

Saint Joseph’s used a 12-5 run to take a 16-10 lead early in the contest.

Miles made 4-of-7 field goals in the first half, and the Hawks increased their lead to double digits, 27-17, with 4:31 to play. A three-pointer by Miles as the clock ran out in the first half gave SJU its biggest lead of the half, 12 points, at intermission.

'Nova takes down Delaware

Philadelphia, PA -- Kris Jenkins scored 15 points thanks to hitting four three pointers, to help No. 12 Villanova to a 78-47 rout of Delaware on Sunday and end a perfect opening month of the 2014-15 season. 

Daniel Ochefu had 12 points and six rebounds while Darrun Hilliard II gave 12 points for the Wildcats (6-0), who were coming off a slim five-point win against Michigan on Tuesday to win the Legends Classic.

Cazmon Hayes scored 17 points and Devonne Pinkard gave 11 for the Blue Hens (0-5), who have lost their past four games by double digits.

Villanova led this game from start to finish and held a 15-4 advantage off a 3-pointer from Hilliard 7 1/2 minutes in.

Delaware cut its deficit to five when Kory Holden hit back-to-back jumpers to make it a 17-12 game with under six minutes to play.  The hosts, though, closed the half on a 17-4 run to take a 34-16 lead into the break.

Hilliard's triples on consecutive possessions at the start of the second half keyed a 10-0 run which increased the Wildcats' edge to 44-16. Ochefu's emphatic slam capped the burst and essentially sealed the outcome.

"If Darrun has one flaw, it's that he's too nice," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He's worried about everybody else, wants to be a leader, wants to take care of everyone. I told him yesterday: `just because you're a senior, you're not supposed to be perfect.'"

Delaware got no closer than 22 back the rest of the way. 

Villanova ended the day with a season-best 13 3-pointers, including nine after intermission. Much of that success was owed to the space created by the work of Ochefu on the interior - he scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half and helped Villanova construct its margin.


Notes: Delaware hosts Army on Wednesday ... Villanova, which also went undefeated last November, opens up its Big Five slate at La Salle on Wednesday ... Villanova upped its all-time mark to13-0 against Delaware ... The Wildcats shot 48.3 percent and held the Blue Hens to 31 percent shooting ... Villanova owned a 38-5 advantage in bench scoring and a 24-16 edge on points in the paint. The Wildcats were 28-of-58 from the field (.483) and 13-of-32 (.406) from distance.