Reynolds scores 21, No. 4 Villanova topples No. 5 West Virginia 82-75

No. 4 Villanova gets past No. 5 West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Scottie Reynolds scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13 minutes and No. 4 Villanova held off No. 5 West Virginia 82-75 on Monday night.

The Wildcats (21-2, 10-1) rebounded from a blowout loss at No. 7 Georgetown on Saturday to pull into a first-place tie with No. 2 Syracuse in the Big East.

West Virginia (19-4, 8-3) led only in the game’s opening minutes, couldn’t overcome an 11-point halftime deficit and saw its six-game winning streak snapped. The Mountaineers will have to wait until Friday night at No. 25 Pittsburgh to try for their sixth straight 20-win season.

Corey Fisher added 17 points and Antonio Pena had 10 for Villanova in the season’s first matchup of teamed ranked in the top five.

Darryl Bryant led five Mountaineers in double figures with 15 points. Devin Ebanks and Da’Sean Butler had 13 apiece.

Villanova shot 57 percent (29 of 51) from the field and outrebounded the Mountaineers 38-30. West Virginia didn’t help its cause at the free-throw line, finishing 18 of 32.

This was West Virginia’s first home game since fans threw objects onto the court last Wednesday, one of which struck Pittsburgh assistant coach Tom Herrion under his right eye. WVU President Jim Clements apologized to the University of Pittsburgh and declared that “boorish and unruly behavior by our fans will not be tolerated.”

Students behaved themselves this time. They scrapped a derogatory chant typically done during opponent introductions. Extra security workers surrounded the yellow-shirted student section and fans were asked to report hooligans by text message just in case.

Butler couldn’t rescue West Virginia from the latest of many double-digit deficits this season.

He scored a season-high 33-points as West Virginia rallied from 16 points down in the second half to beat St. John’s 79-60 on Saturday. Last season he torched Villanova for a career-high 43 points at home, but the Wildcats held him in check Monday night.

Butler didn’t get his first points until a 3-pointer with 8:40 left in the first half and was held without a field goal in the second half. He finished just 2 of 12 from the field.

West Virginia picked up its defensive intensity after halftime, holding Villanova without a field goal for the first 6 minutes. But the Mountaineers did little on offense.

Every time West Virginia was poised to make a run, Reynolds was there to answer.

Limited to two points in the first half, Reynolds hit a 3-pointer and converted two three-point plays over a 3-minute span to push Villanova’s lead to 58-47 with 10:28 remaining.

Casey Mitchell gave West Virginia a flicker of hope with a long 3-pointer and free throw with 2 minutes left to bring the Mountaineers within 74-69, but Villanova converted six of eight free throws in the final minute.

Mitchell finished with 12 points and Kevin Jones added 11 for the Mountaineers.