Temple University Athletics

Tuesday, December 13
Villanova, Pa.
7:00 p.m.

Temple University

(7-4, 3-1B5)

57
at
78

Villanova

(11-0, 4-0B5)

1
2
F
Temple
16
41
57
Villanova
29
49
78
Daniel Dingle
Photo by: Zamani Feelings

Men's Basketball Comes up Short in Big 5 Title Game to No. 1/1 Villanova

12.13.16 | Men's Basketball

VILLANOVA, Pa. - No. 1/1 Villanova got 26 points from Josh Hart on its way to claiming the 2016-17 Philadelphia Big 5 title with a 78-57 win against Temple men's basketball on Tuesday night at The Pavilion. The Wildcats (11-0, 4-0 Big 5) pulled away late in the first half and never let the Owls (7-4, 3-1 Big 5) back into the game on their way to remaining undefeated.

Along with winning 17 straight games overall dating back to its NCAA Championship run in 2015-16, Villanova has now won a record 18 straight games in Big 5 play. The last team to beat the Wildcats in the city series was Temple during the 2012-13 season.

Sophomore Shizz Alston, Jr. drained four three-pointers to lead Temple with 12 points, and senior Daniel Dingle scored 11 while dishing three assists and grabbing five rebounds. 

Villanova had four players score in double figures including Hart. The Owls were whistled for 22 fouls to the Wildcats' 10, leading to a 15-point edge for Villanova at the free-throw line.

Despite missing its first seven shots, the Owls were down just 3-0 before Alston made Temple's first field goal, a three-pointer, at 16:14 of the first half. 

With both teams shooting poorly overall, Temple was down just 11-8 near the eight-minute mark before a 9-0 Villanova run put the Wildcats up 20-8 with five minutes left in the half. The Owls responded with an 8-0 run of their own, capped by an old-fashioned three-point play for Dingle that put Temple within four with 2:52 remaining, but it was as close as the Owls would get for the rest of the game.

Villanova closed out the first half with another 9-0 run thanks to a string of six points by Hart, and the Wildcats took a 29-16 lead into halftime.

The Owls turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, more than their season average for a full game. They proved costly in the end as Villanova finished the period with a 13-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

Dingle hit 3-of-5 from the field for eight first-half points to lead Temple, but the rest of the Owls went a combined 3-of-19 from the field.

Hart scored 18 of his points in the second half including 11 straight for the Wildcats in one stretch early in the period. As a team, Villanova sank five of its first seven three-point attempts, the last of those by Kris Jenkins giving VU a 52-31 lead with 12:25 left in the game.

The Wildcats went on to lead by as many as 28 on a number of occasions, and Temple came within no fewer than 22 points over the final 12 minutes of the game.

Temple will return home for its next three games in a row, starting with a 2 p.m. contest against NJIT on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Box Score (PDF) | Dingle Press Conference | Dunphy Press Conference
 
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