No. 14 Villanova followed up its surprising performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis with a 77-54 win over Penn on Wednesday, despite struggling at times offensively.
Villanova vs. Pennsylvania final score: Wildcats overcome offensive woes in Big 5 showdown
Villanova weathered an extended scoring drought in the second half to beat Penn.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point lead at halftime, then went cold from the field. They did not score a second-half field goal until there was 9:53 to play, allowing Penn to climb to within single digits.
But then a 12-0 run, capped by a three from Ryan Arcidiacono with 4:01 to play, put the Wildcats up 20. Those were Arcidicaono's only points of the game.
Though Arcidiacono struggled, Darrun Hilliard more than made up for it. He had 19 points to lead all scorers.
While the Wildcats were struggling from the field, they stayed ahead by making free throws. They were 80 percent from the line overall and attempted more than three times the number of free throws that the Quakers took.
Miles Jackson-Cartwright had 17 to lead Penn, which now drops to 2-5. The Wildcats are now 8-0 with another Big 5 game coming on Saturday at Saint Joseph's.
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