Villanova, Drexel dominate to earn respective bragging rights in the Big 5 Classic

Villanova claimed third place at Saturday’s Big 5 Classic at Wells Fargo Center with a 94-65 victory over Temple. Drexel defeated Penn, 60-47, in the day’s first game to claim fifth place in the event for the second consecutive season.

An excellent shooting day lifted Villanova (6-4) above Temple (4-4) in the third-place game. The Wildcats shot 58.5% from the field, including 19-of-30 from three. The Wildcats’ 19 three-pointers match the Villanova single-game program record. Villanova graduate forward Eric Dixon led all scorers with 24 points, while graduate guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the Owls with 20.

Four Wildcats, including Dixon, had double-digit scoring performances. Senior guard Wooga Poplar finished with 18 and seven rebounds, senior guard Jordan Longino scored 14 while sophomore guard Tyler Perkins scored 12 off the bench.

“Our guys can make shots,” Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said. “We’ve got multiple guys that can make three, four, five, threes in a game. [We have] multiple guys who have done it in college games, up and down our roster.”

Villanova did not trail in the game. The Wildcats’ lead reached 32, its largest, with 31 seconds remaining.

The Owls struggled to keep up with the ‘Cats physically. Villanova outrebounded Temple 37-28 and held a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.

“We want to take care of the glass,” Neptune said. “We want to be a team that defends and rebounds at a high level. I think that’s been our Achilles’ heel this year. That’s definitely something we want to continue to get better at.

Villanova finishes its nonconference schedule by hosting Fairleigh Dickinson (4-7) on Dec. 11. Then, Big East play opens with Seton Hall (5-4) visiting the Finneran Pavilion on Dec. 17. Temple hosts Division II Holy Family on Dec. 10.

Drexel (6-4) took advantage of a poor second-half performance from Penn (3-6) to claim victory in the fifth-place game. A 17-point, 13-rebound double-double performance led the Dragons from junior forward Cole Hargrove.

Hargrove scored 11 of his 17 points in a second-half Drexel controlled. Penn shot 8-for-28 in the final 20 minutes, including an 0-for-9 mark from three.

“I don’t think [Penn] had quality looks,” Drexel head coach Zach Spiker said. “We had a number of blocks when they went to the rim. We forced some tough spots for them.”

Penn senior forward Nick Spinoso led all scorers with a season-best 21-point performance but lacked support from the other Quakers. Spinoso and junior guard Ethan Roberts combined for all 17 second-half Quaker points. Roberts finished with 11 points.

The Dragons outrebounded the Quakers, 40-29, and finished with a 42-24 advantage in paint points. Drexel claimed wins in both of the fifth-place games of the Big 5 Classic since the triple-header format started last season.

“This is, and should continue to be, one of the iconic calendar days in the college basketball world,” Spiker said.

The Dragons’ next two games come at Albany (6-4) on Dec. 14 and at Howard (3-5) on Dec. 17. Drexel returns to Wells Fargo Center for its non-conference finale against Penn State (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) on Dec. 21.

Penn will get an 11-day rest after it travels to Virginia Commonwealth (7-2) on Tuesday.