Corey Stokes scored 24 points, Maalik Wayns had 21 and No. 8 Villanova won a heavyweight showdown with Big-5-rival Temple, beating the No. 25 Owls 78-74 on Thursday night.
Mouphtaou Yarou had 14 points for the Wildcats (11-1) and helped them squash any chance of a second straight upset loss to the Owls. The unranked Owls stunned No. 3 Villanova last season and both teams were fired up this week for the rematch.
The game lived up to its billing as the marquee matchup of the season in city hoops.
Lavoy Allen scored 22 points for the Owls (9-3). Juan Fernandez had a season-high 20 and Ramone Moore 16.
The game was the first one between two Philly-area teams ranked in the Top 25 since No. 1 Temple defeated No. 20 Villanova 98-86 on Feb. 10, 1988, at McGonigle Hall, according to STATS LLC.
Allen, who played 40 minutes, buried an open 3 with 2.3 seconds left that cut it to 76-74 and gave Temple a flicker of hope. The Owls were seeking their seventh straight victory.
But Wayns did it all for the Wildcats, and was he ever needed with star guard Corey Fisher ineffective. Wayns clinched Villanova's sixth straight win from the line, capping a fantastic all-around game that included eight assists.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
Fisher came in averaging 15.5 points but was held to five.
Stokes bailed out the Wildcats as their sole long-range threat. He hit all five of Villanova's 3-pointers while the rest of the team went 0 for 8.
Villanova coach Jay Wright raved about the Owls this week and they gave the Wildcats all they could handle. Temple seemed poised to bust the game open in the second half, much like it did last year.
After the Wildcats shook off a first-half shooting funk with a 16-5 run that helped build a 10-point lead, the Owls got going.
Playing at home, it seemed Wayns and the Wildcats might run away with the win.
The pesky Owls wouldn't go away.
Fernandez hit his fourth 3 in four attempts to trim Villanova's lead to seven. Scootie Randall hit Temple's season-high ninth 3 to cap a 13-0 run for a 60-57 lead.
The Wildcats then found their shooting grove in their final non-conference game heading into the Big East opener on Jan. 2.
Stokes tied it at 60 on a 3 and Wayns went all the way through three defenders to bring the Wildcats back for a 67-62 lead.
They kept control -- barely, at times -- from there.
So sensational early, Fernandez took a series of ill-advised shots and eventually fouled out.
Like last season's 75-65 victory when the Owls buried 50 percent of their 3s, the long-range shooting was the difference early. Moore and Fernandez hits 3s in the first half that each gave the Owls a five-point lead. The Owls stretched it to eight and carried a 40-39 lead into halftime.
The Wildcats, 4-0 in city games this season, have a 43-game winning streak at their campus home and Temple hasn't won here since 1990.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our sports newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
