Villanova in the Pros
Villanova in the Pros: 42 Points for Jalen Brunson

Two time NCAA champion and former Villanova Wildcat Jalen Brunson had himself a game on Monday, Feb. 3, dropping 42 points to push the New York Knicks past the Houston Rockets in a furious fourth quarter comeback.
New York trailed 89-78 at the end of the third quarter with Brunson sitting at 25 points. He then went off for 17 in the final frame, making five of six shots along with a perfect 6-for-6 clip from the charity stripe, scoring seven points in less than a minute to give the Knicks a 118-114 lead with 60 seconds to go.
Brunson, named a starter to the NBA All-Star game for the first time in his seven season professional career earlier this year, added ten assists, six rebounds and two steals. His average of 26.0 points per game ranks ninth in the NBA. The Knicks improved to 33-17 on the season with the win, solidifying their hold on the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Fellow Villanova alumni and Knicks’ standouts Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart also played a role in the exciting comeback. Bridges scored 22 points and logged a game-high plus/minus of +29, while Hart came close to a double-double with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
On the other side of the court, former Villanova player Cam Whitmore, who went one-and-done with the Wildcats during the 2022-23 campaign, put up 18 points, five rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in 23 minutes off the bench, tying his second-best scoring output of the season. After missing time due to illness in late January, Whitmore’s performance lagged a bit, but he seems to be on the mend now.