Eric Dixon scored 24 points to propel Villanova to a comfortable 94-65 win over Temple on Saturday in a Big 5 Classic game from Philadelphia.
Dixon came in averaging 25.9 points for the Wildcats (6-4), who entered on the heels of their biggest win of the season – a 68-60 victory over No. 14 Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Both Dixon and his teammates carried their momentum into Saturday, as Villanova shot a blistering 19-of-30 from 3-point range and 58.5 percent overall in setting a season high for points.
Wooga Poplar chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, Jordan Longino added 14 points and Tyler Perkins had 12.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 20 points to pace the Owls (4-4), who shot poorly from the field (37 percent), the 3-point arc (30.4 percent) and the foul line (62.1 percent). Aiden Tobiason swiped five of Temple’s eight steals.
Villanova jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead as Dixon scored five early points. Shortly thereafter, Dixon drilled two 3-pointers to give the Wildcats their first double-digit advantage at 15-4.
Perkins and Poplar each knocked down a 3-pointer of their own as the lead grew to 21-8. With under six minutes left in the half, Perkins made back-to-back 3-pointers to increase the Wildcats’ advantage to 32-18.
Villanova scored eight of the final 11 points of the half to go into the locker room ahead 45-29.
Dixon (13 points) and Poplar (11) were the Wildcats’ leading scorers in the first half, while Mashburn had 12 points to pace the Owls.
After shooting 8-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half, Villanova made three more 3-pointers – two by Dixon – in the first three minutes of the second half. Perkins connected on another as the lead ballooned to 57-36.
Midway through the second half, the Wildcats used a 10-3 run to extend the margin to 25 points. Longino began that surge with a layup and a 3-pointer before Poplar’s free throw made it 70-45 with 9:21 left in the game.
Temple never got closer than 20 points from there as Villanova cruised to the finish line.
–Field Level Media
