National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 77, VCU 53
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, November 24, 2014
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: # Paul Faia, # Jerry Heater, # Jamie Luckie
Attendance: N/A

No. 11 Villanova 77, No. 14 VCU 53: JayVaughn Pinkston scored a season-high 15 points and matched his season best with seven rebounds as the Wildcats pulled away from the Rams in the semifinals of the Legends Classic in Brooklyn.

Darrun Hilliard II contributed 14 points for Villanova (4-0), which used a 16-0 run in just over two minutes of action early in the second half to remain undefeated on the season. Kris Jenkins added 13 points as the Wildcats advanced to Tuesday's tournament championship game against Michigan.

Villanova received 36 points from its bench, led by Jenkins and Josh Hart (10 points), while Phil Booth contributed nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. Melvin Johnson and Briante Weber had 13 points apiece to pace VCU (3-1), which will take on Oregon in Tuesday's third-place game.

Following a neck-and-neck first half, Villanova allowed six quick points in the second half to go down 36-32 before uncorking the decisive run. The burst began with a three-point play by Hilliard and ended with a three-point play by Hart, while Ryan Arcidiacono and Jenkins each hit a 3-pointer in the middle of the rally.

The Rams, who entered with the ninth-highest scoring average in the country (92.7), could barely make a dent against the Wildcats' defense. They shot only 37.3 percent, including 2-of-17 from behind the arc, and got outscored 45-23 in the second half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Villanova F Daniel Ochefu grabbed nine rebounds to lead all players. ... After scoring 17 points in 15 minutes in VCU's last game against UMES, Rams F Treveon Graham managed only four points on 2-of-9 shooting while battling foul trouble. ... After shooting 12-of-29 (41.3 percent) from the field and 1-of-8 from long range in the first half, the Wildcats connected on 58.6 percent of their second-half attempts, including 6-of-10 3-pointers.
Top Game Performances
 
Villanova   VCU
JayVaughn Pinkston 15 Scoring Melvin Johnson 13
Ryan Arcidiacono 9 Assists Melvin Johnson 2
Daniel Ochefu 9 Rebounds Justin Tillman 5
Kris Jenkins 5 Free Throws Made Briante Weber 3
Josh Hart 2 Steals Briante Weber 2
Daniel Ochefu 2 Blocks Mo Alie-Cox 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Villanova 77 50.0 7-18 12-16 20 35 5 5 9
VCU 53 37.3 2-17 7-12 4 26 2 3 10