Collin Gillespie scored a season-high 28 points and No. 19 Villanova rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat host DePaul 79-64 Saturday in Chicago.
Justin Moore added 21 and Caleb Daniels had 11 for the Wildcats (11-4, 4-1 Big East), who won their fourth in a row.
It was Villanova’s 21st straight win over DePaul dating to 2008.
Javon Freeman-Liberty led DePaul (9-5, 0-4) with 34 points while David Jones added 12. Brandon Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Blue Demons have dropped four straight.
Freeman-Liberty hit a pair of deep 3-pointers early on for DePaul before Villanova battled back to take a 12-11 lead with 12:09 remaining in the first half after Daniels made a trey.
Jones knocked down a 3-pointer with 10:17 left and the Blue Demons went ahead 17-15.
The Wildcats’ defense tightened and they took a 28-24 advantage after a goaltending call against Gillespie with 4:00 to go.
DePaul responded in a big way and took a 37-32 lead at halftime thanks in large part to Freeman-Liberty’s 22 points.
Gillespie kept Villanova close with 11.
Moore scored five quick points in the first two minutes of the second half to help the Wildcats tie the game at 37.
After a couple of empty possessions by DePaul, Gillespie hit a trey to cap a 10-0 run and a three-point lead.
In a bizarre scene, Freeman-Liberty soon played for nearly two minutes with only one sneaker before the Blue Demons were finally able to call timeout.
After a three-point play by Eric Dixon with 14:00 remaining, the Wildcats led 47-39.
Gillespie then hit three free throws after being fouled on a trey and soon added a 3-pointer for a 53-43 advantage with 12:45 left.
DePaul, meanwhile, went without a field goal for nearly eight minutes, but still trailed 55-49.
After a Villanova turnover, Yor Anei scored in the lane and the Blue Demons pulled within 55-51 with 9:08 to go.
The Wildcats proceeded on a 9-4 run for a 64-55 advantage.
It was enough of a cushion to help propel Villanova to another victory.
–Field Level Media
