PHILADELPHIA _ It might not be polite to call the Villanova-St. Joseph's game the "Holy War" anymore, but the teams played as spirited a game Saturday as any seen in the old days when these duels were played at the Palestra.
The 23rd-ranked Wildcats led by 17 in the first half, but the Hawks whittled down the margin to when it became a one-possession game with less than five minutes to play. But the visitors dug in on defense in the closing stages and defeated St. Joseph's, 78-66, before a deafening crowd at Hagan Arena.
Ryan Daly keyed the Hawks' comeback with 22 of his 32 points in the second half. His two free throws with 4 minutes, 8 seconds to play cut the deficit to three, 65-62. But St. Joe's (2-8, 0-1 Big 5) managed just four points _ two driving baskets by Daly _ the rest of the way, and the Wildcats (7-2, 3-0) got six points from Saddiq Bey and five from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to seal the victory.
The Wildcats took control in the first half with a 12-0 run as Collin Gillespie accounted for six of the points, and Justin Moore's reverse layup put 'Nova up 29-14 with 5:58 left in the half. The Cats' margin increased to 17, 37-20, on Jermaine Samuels' three-point basket with 2:58 left, and the halftime score was 41-25.
Keys to the game
Bey led the Wildcats with 22 points 9 rebounds, and Gillespie, who sat out all but the final 43.6 seconds in foul trouble, added 20. Daly was the only player in double figures for the Hawks.
