Antonio Pena finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Corey Stokes added 17 points as No. 12 Villanova pulled away for a 71-60 victory over rival St. Joseph’s on Friday.

It is always a battle when any of the Big 5 schools from the Philadelphia area get together, and St. Joseph's hung tough with Villanova for most of the first half before falling back and trailing 38-28 at the break. The Wildcats would stretch the lead to as much as 20 points in the second half before letting up in the final minutes.

Villanova's Corey Fisher scored 14 points on 3-of-13 shooting after he went 1-for-10 in a 78-68 loss to Tennessee in the preseason NIT final Nov. 26. The go-to scorer on the team with the departure of Scottie Reynolds, Fisher has reached double figures in six of seven games, but has struggled with his shot all season.

Villanova will face the other three Big 5 schools over the next month with games against Pennsylvania, La Salle and Temple. The fierce battles and hostile environments should get the Wildcats well prepared for a Big East slate that is always difficult in the deepest conference in the country.