Villanova tops St. Joseph’s, 71-64, in the annual Holy War, earning a share of the Big 5 title

After a back-and-forth first half that saw Villanova enter the break down by three, the Wildcats used strong play in the second frame and clutch shots down the stretch to defeat St. Joseph’s, 71-64, at Hagan Arena on Saturday.

The win put the Wildcats (6-5) above .500 for the first time since they were 2-1 in mid-November and gave them a share of the Big 5 title alongside Temple. The Wildcats have captured 29 Big 5 titles, while Temple has 28. It also marked Villanova’s eleventh consecutive win against St. Joe’s.

“It’s great,” said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune about sharing the Big 5 title. “Anytime you win a championship at any level, it’s always a special thing, especially [in] college basketball.”

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Brandon Slater had a season-high 19 points for the Wildcats, knocking down five three-pointers on eight attempts. Eric Dixon finished with 16 points and Chris Arcidiacono posted a career-high 14 points. Dixon had a double-double grabbing 12 rebounds, and Caleb Daniels added seven points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Erik Reynolds II led the Hawks (4-6) with a game-high 27 points. Reynolds went 10-for-17 from the field, including 6-for-8 from deep. Lynn Greer III joined him in double figures with 14 points.

Both teams opened red hot. The Wildcats buried their first six attempts from deep while St. Joe’s scored 23 points in the first nine minutes. Things slowed down about midway through the first half, but a 10-4 run by the Hawks capped off with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Reynolds, gave St. Joe’s a 35-32 lead at the break.

The Hawks sported an early six-point lead in the second half. But Villanova found some rhythm, going on a 20-4 run over an eight-minute stretch to jump out to a 10-point advantage. St Joe’s didn’t fold, however, cutting its deficit to four. It was the clutch plays in the waning minutes that secured the win for Villanova.

“Take out the first 10 minutes, I love the way we competed, especially defensively,” Neptune said. “We took a lot of shots from them, a lot of punches from them. They came out really hot. I thought they had a great game plan, especially offensively.”

Both teams had solid shooting numbers. Villanova made 41.4% of from the field, going 14-for-38 (36.8%) from three. St. Joe’s shot 38.7% from the field and went 9-for-29 (31.0%) from deep. The Hawks won the turnover battle (13-7), but the Wildcats outrebounded St. Joe’s, 43-31.

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Trapped on the sideline with the shot clock winding down, Villanova’s Jordan Longino had to get a shot off. He picked up his dribble, spun, and with a hand in his face, buried a long two-pointer to put the Wildcats up by six with just over three minutes remaining.

Moments later, St. Joe’s was called for a backcourt violation, and Daniels, who was playing with four fouls, got up high for an offensive rebound, the ball eventually finding Arcidiacono, who nailed a three-pointer to put the Wildcats up by nine, 66-57, with 2:20 remaining.

“He’s phenomenal. I just got done telling our staff,” St. Joe’s head coach Billy Lange said about Arcidiacono. “He’s had a great career here. This is not [an] accident.”

Villanova starts Big East play on Wednesday, hosting St John’s (6:30 p.m., FS1). St. Joe’s has a quick turnaround, facing Sacred Heart at home on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN+).