Reynolds lifts No. 13 Villanova to 6th straight

[February 11, 2009]  VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) -- Scottie Reynolds scored 27 points, Corey Fisher had 21 and No. 13 Villanova continued its dominant Big East run in a 102-84 win over No. 10 Marquette on Tuesday night.

Dante Cunningham had 15 points for the Wildcats (20-4, 8-3) and Shane Clark had 16. The Wildcats knocked off their third Top 25 team in their six-game winning streak and won their 26th straight game at the Pavilion.

They reached the 100-point mark in consecutive Big East games for the first time in team history.

Marquette (20-4, 9-2) was unranked when it came away with a home victory against Villanova in the conference opener, a win that sparked the Golden Eagles to a 9-0 start in the Big East. Now, they've lost two straight on the road.

Jerel McNeal scored 23 points and set Marquette's career scoring record, breaking George Thompson's 40-year-old mark. McNeal entered the season 22nd on the team's career list, and his eighth straight game of 20-plus points gives him 1,776 points and a spot atop the list.

Lazar Hayward had 22 points for Marquette. Wesley Matthews added 16.

Reynolds carried the Wildcats in the second half, scoring 16 points and making three timely 3-pointers that turned back short Marquette runs. The packed crowd serenaded him with chants of "Scot-tie! Scot-tie!" after every big basket.

The game between two nationally ranked Big East teams was a rare treat for Villanova's fans. This was only the 10th game at the Pavilion between two Top 25 teams and the Golden Eagles and Wildcats came out and gave them all a show.

Each team came out firing from 3-point range, with seemingly every shot a step or two beyond that arc. And the shots were dead on -- Hayward hit three in the first half for the Golden Eagles and Fisher nailed three in the half for the Wildcats. Villanova ended the first half pop-a-shot contest with a 50-45 lead.

Then Reynolds, Villanova's streaky guard, got going from long range to help build a 14-point lead. His first 3 of the half gave Villanova a 10-point lead, he swished one to make it 76-64 and the last one gave them a 92-78 lead.

He wasn't the only Wildcat who couldn't miss. They shot a blistering 72 percent in the second half (18-for-25) and made 13 of 24 3-pointers. Villanova had only connected on 35 percent of its 3s coming into the game.

Reynolds made five 3s, Fisher had four and Clark went 3-for-3.

Clark, who also grabbed seven rebounds, nailed a 3-pointer in the final minute to push the Wildcats over the 100-point mark.

The Wildcats lost starting forward Dwayne Anderson to a knee injury early in the second half and he did not return. He scored 10 points.

[Associated Press; By DAN GELSTON]

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