Scottie Reynolds poured in 21 points, as the fifth-ranked Villanova Wildcats defeated the Ole Miss Rebels, 79-67, in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.Corey Stokes added 18 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats (5-0), who went 21-of-27 from the foul line. Antonio Pena ended with 17 points and 16 rebounds for the victors.
No. 5 Villanova Beats Ole Miss, Wins Puerto Rico Tip-Off
Chris Warren finished with a game-high 24 points and four assists for the Rebels (4-1), who went 12-of-21 from the foul line. Terrico White tallied 14 points and nine rebounds. Murphy Holloway chipped in 10 points and six rebounds in defeat.
A Warren three-pointer put Ole Miss ahead 30-29 about two minutes into the second half.
With the score tied at 36, the Wildcats ripped off nine straight points. Reynolds made a pair of layups and a three-pointer before Pena’s layup ended the run for a 45-36 margin with 13 1/2 minutes left.
A Reynolds layup and a Taylor King slam put Villanova ahead 65-50 with under 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Villanova cruised to victory from there.
The Wildcats opened the game with an 8-0 run, but the Rebels responded with a 17-4 spurt to take the lead. White book-ended the burst with a trey and a three-point play to give Ole Miss a 17-12 lead with over 10 minutes left.
Villanova used a 9-2 flurry late in the first half to go back in front. A Dominic Cheek layup made it 27-22 with less than 2 1/2 minutes remaining. A Trevor Gaskins free throw cut the gap to 27-23 at the break.
The Wildcats shot 41.5 percent from the field, while the Rebels made just 38.1 percent of their shots…Ole Miss won the only previous game with Villanova back in 1999…King had nine points and 11 rebounds…Pena was named the tourney’s MVP.
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