BOX SCORE
Villanova continued its magic at the Wells Fargo Center this season against ranked opponents by holding on for a 67-57 win over No. 5 Georgetown in the regular-season finale Wednesday night.
The Wildcats already had victories at the Wells Fargo Center this year over then-No. 5 Louisville on Jan. 22 and then-No. 3 Syracuse just four days later.
Villanova (19-12, 10-8 Big East) snapped a modest two-game skid with the win.
Meanwhile, Georgetown (23-5, 13-4 Big East) had its 11-game winning streak snapped with the defeat.
Turning point
With the Wildcats clinging to a three-point lead and 5:45 remaining on the clock, Ryan Arcidiacono found Darrun Hilliard in transition for a three-pointer.
On the ensuing possession, Arcidiacono was fouled driving the lane and buried a pair of free throws to give Villanova all the cushion it would need to hang on.
Big men on campus
Villanova was led in scoring by JayVaughn Pinkston with 20 on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting. The rest of his points came at the free throw line (11 for 14).
Hilliard scored 14 points for the Wildcats. Arcidiacono added 11, while James Bell had 10.
Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. scored 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting. The sophomore forward came into the night averaging 19.7 points a game during the Hoyas’ win streak.
Inside the box score
• Villanova held a huge advantage at the free throw line as the Wildcats made 30 of 42. Georgetown connected on only 4 of 8 attempts from the charity stripe.
• Villanova forced Georgetown into 23 turnovers and scored 24 points off those takeaways.
• Georgetown had the same number of made field goals in the first half (12) as turnovers.
When was the last time …
Villanova still trails Georgetown 42-29 in the all-time series between the two schools. The Hoyas had won eight of the last nine meetings, including three straight.
What’s next?
Villanova will now wait for its next opponent to be determined for the Big East tournament next Wednesday.
Georgetown ends its regular season on Saturday with a matchup against No. 17 Syracuse.