National Basketball Association
Villanova 73, American U. 52
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 22, 2011
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials:
# Mike Eades, # Joe Lindsay, # Paul Szelc
Attendance:
6500
By SportsDirect Inc.
Maalik Wayns scored 12 points in a rare reserve role, and JayVaughn Pinkston also had 12 as Villanova rolled past American 73-52 Thursday night.
Dominic Cheek chipped in 10 points, while Mouphtaou Yarou grabbed 10 rebounds as the Wildcats (7-5) bounced back from Saturday's 74-58 loss to city rival Saint Joseph's.
Wayns was a game-time decision after missing Wednesday's practice with a virus and did not start. But he had six first-half points, including back-to-back baskets during a late 12-2 spurt as the Wildcats took a 38-29 halftime lead.
Blake Jolivette scored a game-high 19 points and Charles Hinkle added 17 for American (8-5).
After the Eagles quickly cut it to 38-33, Villanova reeled off 12 straight points to crush any comeback threat. Jolivette tallied the first 10 points of the second half for American, but his four field goals were the only ones for the Eagles in the first 13 minutes.
The 12 points were a season-high for Pinkston, who sat out as a freshman last year due to disciplinary reasons.
Yarou, who had just two points and three rebounds playing a bad ankle against the Hawks, contributed only three points but owned the boards against American with half of his rebounds at the offensive end.
The teams hadn't squared off since the 2009 NCAA Tournament, when American surprised with a 10-point halftime advantage before falling 80-67.
Top Game Performances
| American U. |
|
Villanova |
|
Blake Jolivette 19 |
Scoring |
JayVaughn Pinkston 12 |
|
Daniel Munoz 3 |
Assists |
Maalik Wayns 9 |
|
Tony Wroblicky 8 |
Rebounds |
Mouphtaou Yarou 10 |
|
Charles Hinkle 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Ty Johnson 4 |
|
Daniel Fisher 1 |
Steals |
Dominic Cheek 2 |
|
Tony Wroblicky 2 |
Blocks |
James Bell 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| American U.
|
52 |
34.5 |
7-21 |
5-9 |
12 |
33 |
3 |
3 |
10 |
| Villanova
|
73 |
43.3 |
10-25 |
11-17 |
16 |
35 |
4 |
8 |
5 |