Villanova took care of conference cellar-dweller DePaul (3–13, 0–5 Big East) with a convincing Friday night win, 94–69.
The Wildcat offense exploded in the second defeat of the Blue Demons after winning the first matchup, 84–48, on Dec. 23. Villanova (11-5, 4-1 Big East) scored the most points of any game this season Friday, surpassing the 90-point victory over American that opened the season.
Senior forward Eric Dixon took the lead for the Wildcats with 24 points. Sophomore guard Brendan Hausen was the runner-up with 17 points. Graduate forward Tyler Burton also notched a double-double, recording 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Graduate guard Justin Moore had a quiet night in his return to the floor. In his first game since a knee injury on Dec. 5, Moore contributed just two points, two rebounds and three assists.
While Moore’s reappearance filled in some defensive gaps, the Wildcats still had to play without a key member of the roster. Junior guard Jordan Longino, who excelled while replacing Moore in his five-game absence, was sidelined with an ankle sprain.
DePaul challenged in the game’s opening minutes, connecting on five of eight shots to craft an early 12–11 advantage.
As head coach Kyle Neptune began making substitutions after a first media timeout, the Wildcats soon found their rhythm and led for the rest of the game.
Ten minutes into the game, a swift Dixon layup assisted by Burton stretched the Villanova lead to 22–15.
The Blue Demons fought to stay in the game, but could not force any first-half turnovers from the Wildcats. The deficit increased to nine when Moore blocked a shot, giving Villanova possession to set up a Hausen three-pointer.
Hausen’s standout performance from the long range sparked Villanova in the first half. Hausen came off the bench to connect on five of six three-point attempts. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wildcats shot just 1–10 from behind the arc.
Villanova ended the first twenty minutes ahead by double-digits, 42–32.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a 12–5 run across five minutes, which included a jumper and three-pointer from senior guard TJ Bamba.
The offense continued to shine as the Wildcats shot 72 percent in the second half, while the defense held the Blue Demons to 41 percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats ran away with the game in the second half. As the clock reached the last five minutes, a layup from Burton increased the advantage to 20.
Sophomore guard Mark Armstrong powered the Wildcats through the final minutes. Armstrong scored nine points in the last four minutes, including a fast-break dunk with 53 seconds left.
While the Blue Demons inhibited Hausen from behind the arc in the second half, he finished the successful night of offense with another dunk moments later.
DePaul concluded the game from the free-throw line after a late Hausen foul.
After a weekend break, the Wildcats will return to the court on Monday, Jan. 15 for a road game against No. 11 Marquette (11–5, 2–3 Big East).
The reigning Big East champion Golden Eagles updated on Thursday that they will be missing two key players due to injury, sophomore guards Sean Jones and Chase Ross. Tip-off against the Golden Eagles is set for 2:30 p.m.
