By Harvey Hoffman
Saddiq Bey hit eight 3-pointers and had a career-high 33 points to lead No. 16 Villanova to an 80-66 win over Georgetown.
Bey, a 6-8 forward, hadn’t been much of a 3-pointer shooter this season for the Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Big East). He’d made only 21 and four of those came in a non-conference game against Ohio. He shot just 3-for-10 overall in a win this week at Creighton, hardly a sign he was about to bust out with a career game against the Hoyas (11-6, 1-3).
Bey was a four-star prospect at Washington’s Sidwell Friends. But he never had much interest in the Hoyas and originally signed with North Carolina State before he asked for a release from his letter-of-intent.
The Wildcats pounced, another shrewd pickup for Jay Wright, saluted by the Wildcats for his Associated Press men’s coach of the decade selection. Bey finished 10 of 15 from the floor, including 8 of 10 on 3s, and made five free throws.
Qudus Wahab led the Hoyas with 13 points. The Hoyas missed 11 of 16 3s.
The Wildcats averaged 7.3 3s a game and blew that number out of the stat sheet before most fans were settled in their seats. They made 10 3-pointers on their first 12 baskets and played with desire to push the ball inside. They one time they did, Jermaine Samuels converted a three-point play – of course, three points — to send the Wildcats into the break up 39-36. Samuels’ free throw was the only one of the half for the Wildcats.
Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing called a timeout just 30 seconds into the half after Jeremiah Robinson-Earl hit a jumper and Bey made a 3 that kept the Wildcats rolling.
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