Brunson's 25 points lead No. 1 Villanova over Temple 83-67

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The jeers didn't bother Jalen Brunson. In fact, the boos probably helped him.

Brunson scored a season-high 25 points against his dad's old team, leading No. 1 Villanova to an 83-67 victory over Temple on Wednesday night.

Daniel Ochefu had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Kris Jenkins added 15 points to help the Wildcats (23-3) win their sixth in a row.

Brunson is the son of former Temple star Rick Brunson. The freshman guard drew taunts from the crowd, some of whom called him a ''traitor,'' after spurning his father's alma mater for Villanova.

The name-calling didn't affect his aim, though. He made 9 of 11 shots, going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers.

''That's what drives the great ones,'' Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. ''They want those moments. That was impressive.''

Brunson said he didn't approach this game different from any other.

''I came in with the same mind-set,'' he said. ''It felt great (to quiet the crowd), but I was playing for my teammates, not the crowd.''

Asked what his dad told him beforehand, Brunson said, ''All my dad said was `good luck.' Like a normal dad.''

Trey Lowe scored a career-high 21 points for Temple (16-9).

''I thought they were terrific,'' Dunphy said about Villanova. ''Very few weaknesses, if any.''

The Wildcats got a huge lift from Brunson, especially after halftime when they shot 53 percent from the field. He scored 17 following the break when he made three of his long-range shots.

Villanova coach Jay Wright wasn't surprised his freshman didn't get rattled by the fans.

''I knew it wouldn't affect him,'' Wright said. ''He just made the plays that came to him.''

SECOND-HALF SURGE

Villanova scored the first seven points of the second half for a 42-23 lead. The Wildcats took their biggest lead on Darryl Reynolds' two free throws that made it 63-40 with 10:10 remaining.

Temple responded with 13 of the next 15 points and was within 65-53 after on Lowe's 3-pointer from the right wing. The Owls never got closer than 11.

Villanova was up 35-23 at halftime.

QUIET HART

Josh Hart, who entered averaging a team-leading 15.2 points, had just four points for Villanova. He was 2 of 9 from the field and missed all three 3-point attempts.

It was just the second game this season he failed to reach double-figures, following his seven-point effort in Villanova's 73-63 win over St. John's on Saturday.

BIG 5 TITLE

Villanova took its 14th straight game in the Philadelphia Big 5 to claim its third consecutive city series title.

''We know how special it is,'' Wright said about the Big 5. ''There's nothing like playing road games in the Big 5. It was a very good win against a very good team.''

BROWN BENCHED

Temple's Josh Brown was benched for the first 8:56 of the contest after a violation of team rules and replaced by Levan Alston Jr. Brown had started the previous 24 games this season.

The Owls' offensive struggles were noticeable without their junior point guard.

''It hurt us, but he was terrific when he got in,'' Dunphy said.

Brown finished with 13 points in 31 minutes.

Alston went scoreless in 14 minutes.

TIP-INS

Villanova: The Wildcats improved to 47-43 in the series. . The Wildcats' three losses have come to Providence at home, at Virginia and to Oklahoma in Hawaii. ... Phil Booth came off the bench for 12 points.

Temple: Denver Broncos placekicker and Temple alum Brandon McManus was in attendance. .... The Owls fell to 2-15 against No. 1 teams, with the wins coming over Kansas during the 1995-96 season and Cincinnati during 1999-00. Temple also lost to then-No. 1 North Carolina in its season opener this season, 91-67. . The standing-room only crowd of 10,472 set a record for Temple's Liacouras Center.

UP NEXT

Villanova: Hosts Butler on Saturday.

Temple: At Houston on Sunday night.