Josh Hart Scores 30, No. 3 Villanova Beats Wake Forest 96-77
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Josh Hart scored a career-high 30 points with six 3-pointers and No. 3 Villanova powered past Wake Forest 96-77 on Friday to reach the finals of the Charleston Classic.
Hart, a preseason All-American, made five of his team's first six baskets to open a 16-8 lead and the Wildcats (4-0) kept going. They'll face UCF or College of Charleston for the tournament title on Sunday night.
Villanova used a combination of accurate shooting and solid defense to slow down Wake Forest (3-1), which had scored 103 points Thursday in defeating UTEP. While the Demon Deacons shot 50 percent, they rarely got their transition game in motion against the Wildcats.
It was not all good for Hart, who was whistled for a technical foul late in the second half with his team ahead double digits when he got tied up and jawed with Wake Forest's Bryant Crawford down low.
Hart surpassed his previous top total of 27 points against Akron last season.
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