Erik Reynolds II scored 24 points, Lynn Greer III added 15 points and seven assists and visiting Saint Joseph’s upset No. 18 Villanova 78-65 Wednesday.
Xzayvier Brown scored 16 points, and Rasheer Fleming had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks (5-2), who defeated Villanova in the annual “Holy War” matchup for the first time since Dec. 17, 2011. It was also their first win at Villanova since 2004.
Justin Moore led the Wildcats (6-2) with 17 points, while Eric Dixon added 14.
Villanova had won four in a row, including a three-game sweep to capture the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
The Hawks led 59-51 with 6:51 remaining when Reynolds II knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner. After an empty possession by the Wildcats, Greer III hit a layup, and Reynolds II followed with a tough basket in the lane for a 66-51 lead.
Villanova never threatened the rest of the way.
Saint Joseph’s went ahead 17-16 with 10:14 left in the first half following a driving layup by Brown.
Brown then added a 3-pointer with 8:32 left for a 23-18 advantage.
Brendan Hausen responded with a deep 3-pointer, Moore added a trey and Villanova used a quick 6-0 run to go ahead 24-23.
Reynolds II dropped in a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 29-24 Saint Joseph’s lead with 6:19 to go.
The Wildcats came back with five straight points from Dixon, highlighted by a three-point play with 4:55 left to equalize at 29.
The Hawks shot 60.7 percent from the field and led 43-35 at halftime, thanks in large part to 14 points from Reynolds II.
Dixon paced the Wildcats with 12, including a layup at the buzzer.
Saint Joseph’s extended its advantage to 49-35 when Kacper Klaczek connected on a 3-pointer with 17:35 left in the second half.
Villanova proceeded on a 6-0 run to slice the deficit to 49-41 with 14:07 remaining.
Reynolds II then made a step-back 3-pointer for another double digit advantage, 52-41.
–Field Level Media
