VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) Josh Hart scored a career-high 27 points to help No. 11 Villanova fend off an early scare and hand Akron its first loss with a 75-56 win Sunday night in the NIT Season Tipoff.
Hart shot 11 for 21 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. The Wildcats (4-0) trailed by as many as eight in the first half before turning the game around with a 27-5 run across both halves.
Villanova senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono finished with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and Kris Jenkins scored 11 points.
Antino Jackson scored 13 points and Kwan Cheatham Jr., had 11 for Akron. The Zips (3-1) rolled into the Pavilion fresh off the program's best start of its Division I era.
Four days after shooting over 50 percent in a big NIT road win over Arkansas, the Zips came out hot again. They took a 16-8 lead with 13:46 left in the first half on four 3-pointers.
Akron made 41 percent of its 3-point attempts before the break, but the Wildcats clamped down defensively in other areas to take the Zips out of their rhythm.
Villanova tied the game at 26-26 5 minutes before halftime when center Daniel Ochefu tapped in his own miss. It took its first lead at 34-31 with 1:49 left on an acrobatic three-point play from Hart.
Hart had 15 points in the first half, including 12 of the team's first 18 points.
Akron didn't score any points in the final 4 minutes of the half and Villanova extended its lead to 38-31 at the break. The Wildcats continued to pour it on after halftime with Hart scoring 12 points in the first 7 minutes, capped by a tough three-point play and a 3-pointer that put Villanova ahead 56-36.
Villanova scored 17 points off Akron's 16 turnovers and has now outscored the opposition 94-35 off turnovers this season.
TIP-INS
Akron: This game marked the first time the Zips had ever faced Villanova. They are now 2-9 all-time against current Big East members. ... Five of Akron's first seven made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Zips finished with 11 3-pointers and 10 two-point five goals.
Villanova: Villanova ended a four-game homestand to start the season. The Wildcats don't return to the Pavilion until Dec. 13. ... Ochefu was shooting 63 percent from the field coming in but shot just 2 for 8 from the field. ... Villanova committed only one turnover in the first half.
UP NEXT
Akron: at Green Bay on Tuesday night.
Villanova: vs. Stanford in NIT Season Tipoff at Barclays Center on Thursday.
