COLLEGE: No. 1 Villanova beats Temple to take 2017 Big 5 title
PHILADELPHIA - From the first field goal of the game, No. 1 Villanova took command.
The top-ranked Wildcats travelled to the Liacouras Center on Wednesday to take on Temple in a Big 5 matchup. Though the Owls won the opening tip, the Wildcats were the ones in control.
Jalen Brunson scored the first points of the game with a layup for Villanova. The Wildcats went on to score five straight points on a jump shot from Omari Spellman and a 3-pointer from Mikal Bridges.
The Wildcats (11-0) won the 2017 Big 5 title after beating Temple (6-3) 87-67 Wednesday night. Villanova lead for the entire game.
#1 Villanova Post Game https://t.co/tvACSimM72
— Austin Ampeloquio (@AustinPaulAmp) December 14, 2017
Temple didn’t score until the 15:58 mark in the first half when Shizz Alston Jr. was able to draw a foul on a layup and make both of his free throws. The five point deficit was the closest Temple ever was to Villanova’s lead. After that, the Wildcats stretched their lead to as many as 20 points in the first half.
Temple went on a 16-3 run after trailing by 20 points. Quinton Rose scored 11 of Temple’s 16 points during that run, including three 3-pointers. The run brought Temple within seven points with 6:45 left in the first half, but Jalen Brunson and Omari Spellman were just too much to handle for the Owls.
Temple’s Fran Dunphy https://t.co/Nb9nZOj9Zl
— Austin Ampeloquio (@AustinPaulAmp) December 14, 2017
By the end of the first half Brunson already had 22 points for Villanova while Spellman scored 10 points. The Wildcat duo took 12 total shots in the first half and only combined to miss three of those field goal attempts. The efficient offensive performance gave Villanova back a commanding 17 point lead going into the second half.
Though Quinton Rose scored a career high 27 points, Temple was never able to catch up to the offensive efficiency of Villanova. It was the first home loss for the Owls this season.
Temple’s Quinton Rose post game https://t.co/AGHU8Y2ZQj
— Austin Ampeloquio (@AustinPaulAmp) December 14, 2017
Brunson ended with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting overall. He also shot 60-percent from behind the arc on 10 3-point attempts. Spellman contributed 27 points in the win against Temple. The freshman shot 11-of-14 from the floor overall and made four of his seven 3-pointers as well. As a team, Villanova shot 60-percent overall and 46.4 percent from three.
With the win, the Wildcats have now finished five straight seasons with a 4-0 record in the Big 5.
Temple will continue Philadelphia city series play against Drexel on Saturday. Villanova will have nine day layoff before its next game against Hofstra on Dec. 22nd.