The Villanova Wildcats travel to Madison Square Garden Tuesday night to meet No. 10 Missouri in the Jimmy V Classic (7 p.m., ESPN).
Villanova (5-2) built an 18-point halftime lead Saturday in a 75-67 Big 5 win against Penn, holding the Quakers to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half. Penn cut the lead to four in the second half, but the Wildcats made their free throws down the stretch to emerge with the victory. Mouphtaou Yarou led the victors with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
The win was Villanova's first in its past three games. Coach Jay Wright said afterward that the Wildcats need to learn how to play 40 minutes of good, consistent basketball to reach their potential.
Missouri (7-0) has quickly shot up the top 25 rankings this season, winning each of its first seven games by at least 15 points, including a 39-point victory against then-No. 18 California.
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