VILLANOVA, Pa.—-When redshirt-senior swingman Dan Dingle converted an and-one with just less than five minutes left in the first half, it looked like Temple might give Villanova a run for the Big 5 championship.
Despite turning the ball over 12 times in the first half and shooting 25 percent from the floor in the game’s first 20 minutes, the Owls were within four points of the No. 1 ranked team in the country and the reigning national champions.
But the top-ranked team in the polls and arguably the best player in Division I had other plans. Villanova senior guard Josh Hart converted two fast break layups within the final 36 seconds of the first half to give the Wildcats a 13-point advantage heading into the break.