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Villanova wrapped up their 2017 regular season on Saturday with an 81-55 victory over rival Georgetown at the Verizon Center.
The Wildcats (28-3, 15-3) grabbed a hold of the lead for good midway through the first half on a layup by Donte DiVincenzo. The lead grew through the balance of the first half as ‘Nova was able to walk into the locker rooms at the Verizon Center with a ten-point lead.
‘Nova withstood a 12-1 run early in the second half with the Hoyas getting to within 5 points when Jessie Govan hit a jumper with 11:26 to play. Ultimately the ‘Cats were too strong and would pull away anchored by a pair of back to back three-pointers by Josh Hart with 7:15 to play.
Jay Wright’s squad, who shot 25-54 from the floor (46.3%), was led by the senior Hart who finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Kris Jenkins (19), Jalen Brunson (17), and Mikal Bridges (12) were also in double digits for scoring.
Villanova completes their scheduled slate with a 28-3 record, tying the 2013-14 squad for the second best regular season record. The Wildcats, who have secured the #1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament will next play on Thursday at 12p ET where the will play the winner of the 8/9 game between St. John’s and Georgetown.