Make it 20.
On Saturday evening at Hagan Arena, No. 4 Villanova rolled to its 20th consecutive Big 5 victory in a style with a 94-53 rout of archrival St. Joe’s.
The Wildcats set a program record with 19 three-pointers in the win, breaking the previous mark of 17 — set vs. Lehigh in 2005 — on an Omari Spellman trey with 3:05 remaining.
Villanova shot a whopping 19 for 35 from three-point range to improve to 8-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big 5.
St. Joe’s dropped to 4-4 and 0-1 in the Big 5 despite 14 points from senior James Demery.
• The game was decided late in the first half when Villanova drilled five straight three-pointers — two from Phil Booth, two from Spellman and one from Mikal Bridges — to take a 41-27 halftime lead into halftime.
• The Wildcats continued to build their lead in the second half, using a ridiculous 26-2 run to put the game away.
• How do you guard the “Killer B’s” for Villanova? Jalen Brunson (14 points), Booth (17 points) and Bridges (18 points) took turns making huge shots and are rounding into a nucleus that can rival any team in the nation.
• Yes, Villanova only led 29-27 at one point in this game. But just like the Wildcats did three days earlier in another Big 5 win (over Penn), they dialed up the defensive intensity, got really hot from the field and turned the game into a laugher. It’s remarkable, at times, to see how well Villanova mixes discipline with talent to throw off other teams.
• Spellman didn’t start because he was 1.2 pounds over his target weight. But he checked in just a few minutes into the game and made his presence felt with a huge block off the backboard early in the first half. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds — even with all that extra weight.
• After hitting the record-breaking three, Spellman then hit another one with a minute to go that bounced on the rim about five times. Yes, it was that kind of night for Villanova.
• Donte DiVincenzo (eight points) also got a nice shooter’s roll on one of his threes that bounced off the front rim and in. He also found Bridges for a pretty alley-oop in the first half.
• Taylor Funk (13 points) showed why he’s one of the most exciting freshmen in the city with a long three-pointer, a drive and dunk, and dive to save the ball in the first half. It’s clear he’s already becoming a fan favorite at St. Joe’s.
• The Brunson vs. Shavar Newkirk point guard battle should have been worth the price of admission alone. But Newkirk, who scored 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, still doesn’t look completely look like the player that averaged over 20 points per game after tearing his ACL. Brunson, meanwhile, looks like one of the most complete guards in the nation.
• The Hawks were missing two of their best players in Lamarr Kimble (left foot) and Charlie Brown (left wrist). But both were still into the “Holy War” with Kimble, out for the season, waving his arms in unison with the Hawk mascot before the game and Brown hitting a ridiculous one-handed backwards halfcourt shot to the delight of the fans. It’s hard to say the Hawks could have won the game with those two available but they certainly would have made it far more competitive.
• The St. Joe’s student section was unbelievably loud and packed to the rafters, as it always is for big games. But they might want to rethink that “Overrated” chant directed at ’Nova, especially before the game even begins. Not sure about that “Jay Wright Sits to Pee” rollout either.
• Villanova is halfway to its fifth straight perfect Big 5 season and we’ll find out soon if the Wildcats can pull it off. They host La Salle at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 10 and visit Temple on Dec. 13.
• St. Joe’s has its next Big 5 matchup a week from now at Temple.