VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Corey Stokes scored 24 points, Maalik Wayns had 21 and No. 8 Villanova won a heavyweight showdown with city-rival Temple, beating the No. 25 Owls 78-74 on Thursday night.
Mouphtaou Yarou had 14 points for the Wildcats (11-1) and helped them squash any chance of a second straight upset loss to the Owls. The unranked Owls stunned No. 3 Villanova last season and both teams were fired up this week for the rematch.
The game lived up to its billing as the marquee matchup of the season in city hoops.
Lavoy Allen scored 22 points for the Owls (9-3), Juan Fernandez had 20 and Ramone Moore 16.
The game was the first one between two Philly-area teams ranked in the Top 25 since No. 1 Temple defeated No. 20 Villanova 98-86 on Feb. 10, 1988, at McGonigle Hall, according to STATS LLC.
