Villanova Outshoots South Florida in 83-71 Victory

Corey Stokes and Dominic Cheek shot 9 of 9 from behind the three point line, to lead Villanova in its best shooting night of the season.  The Wildcats shot 58.3% from the field and made 9-12 three pointers, with Corey Fisher missing all three of his attempts.  Offensively the team was too much for USF to handle.  USF battled throughout the game and stayed close to Villanova by outrebounding them 27-21.  In the first half, USF's second chance opportunities allowed them to go into halftime just down 5, but Stokes and Cheek ended the Bulls' hopes.

Corey Stokes just flat out couldn't miss today.  He made shots all over the floor and scored 22 points on just 8 field goal attempts.  That is as efficient as a shooter can be.  Cheek scored 17 points on 6 shots, which is just as amazing.  Combined, the two players were 12 of 14 from the field and scored 39 points.  All of this was possible because of yet another great game by Maalik Wayns.  With 16 points and 9 assists, Wayns shaked and baked himself inside of the paint and dished it out to Stokes and Cheek.  Fisher had a tremendous game as well, scoring 12 points.  He also had 6 assists and 5 steals.

The Bulls struggled shooting from the field, scoring at a 41.5% clip.  They struggled behind the three point line, making only 5 of 19.  Augustus Gilchrist led the team with 16 points, but was just 5 of 14 from the field.  He added 10 rebounds, 6 of them being on the offensive glass, which kept USF in the game.  Guard Anthony Crater dished out 8 assists to go along with his 7 points, but in the end it came down to the fact that they could not stop Villanova's shooting attack.

This game showed how good Villanova could be if they limit their mistakes.  They shot amazingly well, but they seemed to let up a little on the boards, which allowed USF to hang in the game.  They played great defensively, forcing tough shots and turnovers.  With 11 steals and only 9 turnovers, Villanova played a fundamentally sound game.  The number that was most impressive was the 21 assists on 28 made field goals, which shows Villanova moved the ball really well.