Collin Gillespie scored 17 points and Justin Moore added 15 to pace No. 14 Villanova to an 82-42 rout of Butler on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Jermaine Samuels and Eric Dixon contributed 14 points apiece for the Wildcats (13-4, 6-1 Big East), who won their sixth straight game.
Villanova made 12 of 19 attempts from 3-point range.
Chuck Harris had 15 points and Bryce Nze added 10 for Butler (9-7, 2-3).
Villanova made seven of its first eight shots and jumped out to a quick 15-2 lead.
Dixon’s layup with 11:12 remaining gave the Wildcats a 19-4 advantage.
Bo Hodges, who was playing in just his second game following a knee injury, hit a difficult shot in the lane on Butler’s next possession.
Gillespie came right back with a 3-pointer and Villanova extended its lead to 16.
Harris made a 3-pointer from the wing with 4:37 left and the Bulldogs closed within 31-20.
Villanova scored the next five points, capped by Gillespie’s 3-pointer, and the lead extended once again to 16.
The Wildcats led 39-23 at halftime thanks in large part to Gillespie’s 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Harris paced Butler with eight points.
Villanova came out aggressive in the second half and immediately broke the game open with a 12-0 run for a 51-23 lead. Moore hit two 3-pointers, Samuels added a three-point play and Gillespie made a 3-pointer from the wing.
Butler missed its first seven shots in the second half, including five 3-point attempts.
Nze snapped the skid with a 3-pointer from the corner, but the Bulldogs still trailed by 25.
Villanova continued to sparkle offensively as Dixon threw down a dunk with 11:24 to go for a 58-26 lead.
Gillespie and Caleb Daniels connected on consecutive 3-pointers and the lead ballooned to 71-33 with 7:20 left.
The Wildcats cruised to the victory from there.
–Field Level Media
