WASHINGTON -- No. 2 Villanova continued its recent dominance over Georgetown in a decisive 81-55 victory Saturday afternoon.
It was another balanced effort by the Wildcats (28-3, 15-3 Big East) with four players in double-figures led by senior Josh Hart's 21 points. Villanova controlled the game and led for the final 30 minutes in handing its longtime rivals a program-worst 13th conference defeat.
Georgetown (14-17, 5-13) was led by graduate transfer Rodney Pryor's 21 points. The Hoyas have lost five straight heading into the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden next week.
Kris Jenkins had 19 points -- highlighted by going 11 for 13 from the line -- while Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges had 17 and 12, respectively.
The Wildcats remain in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament by beating Georgetown for the ninth time in their last 10 meetings dating back to 2013. Villanova recorded its largest away win at Georgetown since conference play began and the most since a 28-point victory in the 1949-50 season.
The Hoyas never got closer than five points in the second half in finishing their second straight season with a losing record for the first since 1973.
The run
Trailing 15-11 in the first half, the Wildcats went on a 27-8 run over the next 10 minutes to take their biggest lead of the half at 38-23. The run started with a Hart three-pointer and ended with a Brunson trey. During that span, five Villanova players scored while Georgetown made just two field goals total. Villanova survived a poor shooting start (5 for 15) by forcing six Georgetown turnovers.
Stat of the day
Villanova committed just seven turnovers while forcing 20 Georgetown turnovers. Six Hoyas had at least two turnovers, with Jagan Mosely leading the way with four.
By the numbers
With the victory, Villanova improved to 63-9 in Big East regular-season play over the past four years.
Georgetown’s Rodney Pryor joined former Sixers great Allen Iverson as the only players in school history to hit at least 80 threes in a single season. Pryor hit three threes Saturday, giving him 81 for the season. Iverson made 87 as a sophomore in 1996.
Up next
Villanova is off until the Big East quarterfinals next Thursday. Despite winning the previous three Big East regular-season crowns, the Wildcats have won the tournament title just once in that span -- 2015. Georgetown plays Wednesday night in the first round against St. John's as the ninth seed.
Déjà vu
If Georgetown wins its first round matchup against St. John's on Wednesday, the Hoyas and Wildcats will meet for the second consecutive year in the noon quarterfinal Thursday. The last time the Hoyas and Wildcats met in back-to-back Big East Tournaments was in 2007 and 2008.