Villanova turned on the jets to close out the first half with a 44-31 edge, and never let off the gas. Locking down on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, the Wildcats held their opponent to 24 points after the break to win 88-57 and move to 8-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big 5. St. Joe’s fell to 3-4 with the loss.
A slow start was down to Villanvoa playing without their usual energy and focus. Coupled with the Hawks’ making a lot of jumpers early, the contest remained tight until late in the first half. A couple of quick TOs by Jay Wright turned the tide, and the ‘Cats stretched their lead to 13 heading into the intermission.