WASHINGTON _ It's safe to say Georgetown hadn't seen an opponent like Villanova all season, definitely not during its soft nonconference schedule, and even in Big East play against NCAA locks like Seton Hall and Creighton.
The top-ranked Wildcats played as well at both ends of the court as they have all season. They shot 60 percent from the field, limited the Hoyas to 39.3 percent, knocked down 17 3-point baskets and rolled to an 88-56 victory at Capital One Arena.
Villanova (17-1, 5-1 Big East) led by 42-20 at halftime and knocked down 18 of 26 shots (69.2 percent) in the second half while placing six players in double figures led by Jalen Brunson with 18 points and Mikal Bridges with 17.
The Wildcats did a fine job of finding the open man, being credited for 22 assists on 33 baskets. Brunson had seven assists and Phil Booth added six.
Jessie Goven led Georgetown (12-6, 2-5) with 12 points. The Hoyas did not make a 3-point basket until 14 minutes, 45 seconds remained in the second half, and finished 4 of 15 from deep.
It was the first time that Patrick Ewing matched up against Villanova as a head coach, nearly 33 years after Ewing and the highly-favored Hoyas lost to the Wildcats in the 1985 national championship game.
Leading 13-8 with just under 12 minutes left in the first half, the Wildcats broke the game open with a run of 18 consecutive points over the next four minutes. They sank six straight shots, the last five from 3-point range. Booth knocked down a pair of 3s, one he converted into a four-point play.
Omari Spellman hit the last 3-ball, giving the Cats a 31-8 lead with 7:54 left in the period. Villanova's last three baskets of the half also were from beyond the arc, with Donte DiVincenzo accounting for two. His second trey gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the half at 42-18.
Booth and DiVincenzo had 10 apiece at halftime for the Wildcats, who shot better from deep (10 of 19, 52.6 percent) than from inside the arc (5 of 10, 50 percent).
The Hoyas got 10 points from Govan and little else offensively. Only three other players scored in the first half and no one scored more than four points. Georgetown shot 30.8 percent, missed all eight of its 3-point tries and committed nine turnovers.
The Wildcats pretty much shut the door on any hopes for a Georgetown comeback by outscoring the Hoyas 18-2 in the first five minutes of the second half to increase their margin to 38, 60-22.
The Wildcats welcomed back freshman guard Collin Gillespie back to game action. Gillespie had missed the last eight games with a broken bone in his left wrist. Gillespie saw 15 minutes of playing time and scored two points.
