No. 2 Villanova Blows Out St. Joe’s Behind Josh Hart’s Triple-Double, Wildcats Headed Toward No. 1 Spot

By DAN GELSTON

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Josh Hart had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, leading No. 2 Villanova to an 88-57 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.

Hart, the preseason Big East player of the year, continued to show why he is among the best players in the nation. Hart hit three 3s and made 6 of 10 shots from the field overall.

He may soon be the best player on the No. 1 team in the country.

Top-ranked Kentucky’s loss to UCLA on Saturday means the defending national champion Wildcats should slide into the top spot in the next AP Top 25 poll.

Villanova (8-0) fans chanted “No. 1! No. 1!” in the final minutes of another rout for the Wildcats. Villanova won its 16th straight Big 5 game against Philly-based teams La Salle, Penn, Drexel, Temple and the Hawks.

VIDEO: Watch the highlights from today’s BIG 5 showdown!#ATTITUDE #GoNova #BIG5 https://t.co/uHaI7OACal

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) December 3, 2016

Kris Jenkins scored 20 points for the Wildcats.

Lamarr Kimble led the Hawks (3-4) with 15 points and Markell Lodge had 10 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

SAINT JOSEPH’S: The Hawks have followed a 3-0 start with a four-game losing streak. They lost only eight games last season. The Hawks haven’t beat Villanova since Dec. 17, 2011, and they fell to 3-10 against AP Top 25 teams over the last three seasons.

VILLANOVA: The Wildcats played without guard Phil Booth for the fifth straight game. Booth has tendinitis in his left knee and the Wildcats will not rush him back. Booth watched the Wildcats win their 42nd straight game at the Pavilion. The Wildcats sold out their 172nd straight game at their on-campus arena.

UP NEXT

Saint Joseph’s plays Dec. 11 at Drexel to cap a stretch of three straight Big 5 games.

The Wildcats play Tuesday against La Salle at the Palestra.