Gamecenter: Penn 61, Villanova 87

1st 2nd Final
Penn (2-6) 22 39 61
Villanova (5-1) 53 34 87
The Pavilion – Villanova, PA Boxscore
 
Postgame audio: Penn | Villanova
 
Keys to the Game
Key sequence Playing on its home floor in the Big 5 opener for both teams, Villanova roared out of the gate to start the game. The Wildcats held the Quakers to single digits in scoring for more than nine minutes, roaring out to a 33-6 lead and never looking back.
Key sign it was over Penn held Villanova without a field goal for almost seven minutes in the late stages of the first half, but a three-pointer by Wildcats freshman guard Corey Fisher with 27 seconds left in the half gave Villanova a 31-point halftime lead.
Key performance In his City Series debut, Fisher was a force at both ends of the court. During the first half alone, he scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting – including 3-of-5 from three-point range – dished out two assists and recorded four steals.
Key statistic Between Penn’s inexperience and the Wildcats’ full-court pressure defense, the Quakers committed 20 turnovers in the first half. Of those turnovers, 11 came on Villanova steals, and the mistakes led to 28 Wildcats points.
Notes

– Tyler Bernardini was Penn’s leading scorer and tied for game-high honors with 21 points. He scored 16 of those points in the second half, including the all four of his three-pointers. The freshman guard also made nine of his 12 free throw attempts and recorded one assist, one block, and two steals.

– Scottie Reynolds also notched 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 three-point attempts. The sophomore also dished out five assists and grabbed two steals.

– The Wildcats dominated the Quakers on the offensive glass, pulling down 21 offensive rebounds to 22 defensive rebounds for Penn for 48.8-percent offensive boarding. Oddly Penn had a 15-11 edge in second-chance points.

– The Wildcats outscored the Quakers in the paint by 40-18.

– Penn’s struggled extended to the free throw line, where it shot just 16 of 27 (59.3 percent), with Bernardini’s teammates combining to shoot 7 of 15 at the stripe.

– Penn likely will see its two-game losing streak extended to three when top-ranked North Carolina pays a visit to The Palestra on Tuesday, December 4, at 7:00 pm ET, for a sold-out game that will be televised on ESPN2.

Jonathan Tannenwald

Jonathan Tannenwald wrote 29 posts

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