NEU » -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray f

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Jay Wright and his Villanova players are ready to enjoy Thanksgiving and take a much-needed break from basketball.Josh Hart had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Kris Jenkins scored 11 points and No. 2 Villanova knocked off feisty College of Charleston 63-47 on Wednesday night.The Wildcats improved to 6-0 a season after winning the national championship but struggled to put away the overmatched Cougars in their fourth game in seven days and their sixth in 13.It was not a pretty game, Wright said. We just found a way to gut it out.Mikal Bridges and Eric Paschall added eight points and five rebounds apiece for the Wildcats, who shot just 5 for 17 from 3-point range and 8 for 22 from the field in the second half.Jarrell Brantley led Charleston with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Cougars shot 4 for 22 from 3-point range and committed 14 turnovers.Its a good way to learn, Brantley said. Theyre a really good team and do a lot of things right. It will only help.Jenkins, who famously hit the title-winning shot to beat North Carolina at the buzzer last April, was held out of the starting lineup by Wright because he missed a class. But the senior forward came in just 3 minutes into the game and played 28 minutes, shooting 4 for 7 from the field.Hart, who won MVP of the 2016 Gildan Charleston Classic after leading the Wildcats to the tournament title on Sunday, also shot 4 for 7 from the field and 2 for 3 from 3-point range.He was called back into the game in the final minutes after Wright admitted to putting his walk-ons in too early -- not that it bothered the teams star senior.Im not really worried about minutes, said Hart, a Wooden Award candidate. Id love to play the whole game if the coach lets me.BIG PICTURECharleston: After starting a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2011-12, the Cougars have dropped three in a row to fall back to .500. But they will have some easier games coming up before entering play in the Colonial Athletic Association, where they were picked to finish fourth.Villanova: The defending national champs continued to roll through the early portion of their schedule. Four of their next five games come against Philadelphia Big 5 rivals, where the competition is always heated, with a marquee matchup vs. Notre Dame sandwiched in between.ULTIMATE CHALLENGEAlthough the Cougars left town with a loss, Charleston coach Earl Grant felt the game was, in many ways, a win-win for his program.My thought process coming into this game is its the ultimate challenge, Grant said. You get to play against the best team in college basketball. They won the championship last year and until someone beats them this year theyre still the champion. . We knew it would be hard but I think, at this time of year, hard things are good.NOVEMBER REIGNOver the past four seasons, Villanova is 25-0 in the month of November and have claimed four tournament championships in the month, including their recent run through the Gildan Charleston Classic.Wednesdays game was technically Villanovas fourth victory of the Charleston Classic -- after wins over Western Michigan, Wake Forest and UCF at TD Arena -- but the result didnt factor into the bracket.NO BOOTH, NO PROBLEM (FOR NOW)Phil Booth missed his third straight game for Villanova with left knee inflammation. But Wright said the injury is minor and hes eager to get one of his top guards back after the Thanksgiving break.I thought we held up pretty well, Wright said of his teams grueling stretch. If we werent getting Phil Booth back, I think Id be more concerned.POLL IMPLICATIONSAfter moving up a spot to No. 2 this week, Villanova figures to stay there behind top-ranked Kentucky barring any major upsets.UP NEXTCharleston aims to snap its three-game losing streak when it hosts USC Upstate on Sunday.Villanova will look for a record 15th straight Big 5 win against Penn at the historic Palestra on Tuesday.Aaron Ekblad Panthers Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. MacKenzie Weegar Panthers Jersey .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/mackenzie-weegar-hockey-jersey/ . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Evgenii Dadonov Panthers Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Mark Pysyk Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position.CINCINNATI -- Jacob Evans scored 23 points to help Cincinnati roll to an 84-55 victory over Brown in a season opener on Friday night.Evans was 9 of 12 from the field and made four 3-pointers. Kyle Washington had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Bearcats, who are coming off a 22-11 season and a sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Gary Clark added in 14 points and Troy Caupain chipped in 10.Cincinnati opened with an 11-1 run and never traiiled.dddddddddddd Brown cut the deficit to 14-11 but didnt get closer. Evans 3-pointer gave the Bearcats a double-digit lead for good with about five minutes left in the first half.JR Hobbie scored all 12 of his points from 3-point range to lead Brown. Steven Spieth and Chris Sullivan added nine points apiece for the Ivy League Bears. ' ' '