VILLANOVA, Pa., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- James Jones scored 16 points as the 11th-ranked Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes reached the 20-win plateau Tuesday night for the third time in four seasons with a 65-56 Big East Conference victory over Villanova.
Miami (20-3, 7-3 Big East East) is off to its best start since starting the 1959-60 season 20-3. The Hurricanes, who were playing on the road for the first time since Jan. 12, extended their winning streak against the Wildcats to six games.
Elton Tyler had six points in an 11-2 run that put Miami ahead for good at 52-46 with 6:24 left. Villanova (12-8, 4-6) got within 52-51 on a basket by Ricky Wright with just over four minutes left.
But John Salmons took over with four free throws sandwiched around a dish to Tyler for a layup as Miami scored six straight points.
Darius Rice made 1-of-2 from the line for a 59-51 advantage with 50 seconds left and the Wildcats missed six straight shots down the stretch.
Villanova took a 17-13 lead on two free throws by Gary Buchanan with 8:38 left in the opening half. The Hurricanes used a 19-3 run over the final eight minutes for a 32-20 lead. Marcus Barnes had six points in the spurt.
