National Basketball Association
Villanova 81, DePaul 65
When: 8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Where: William B. Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials:
# Jeff Clark, # Tim Clougherty, # John Gaffney
Attendance:
6501
By Field Level Media
Caleb Daniels scored 18 points while Justin Moore and Cam Whitmore added 17 apiece as host Villanova defeated DePaul 81-65 on Wednesday.
Eric Dixon had 13 points and eight rebounds and Brandon Slater chipped in with 10 points for the Wildcats (11-13, 5-8 Big East), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Villanova retired former guard Jalen Brunson's No. 1 jersey and also recognized Hall of Famer and former head coach Jay Wright, who won more than 500 games and two national championships at the school.
Villanova capitalized on a final 11-0 run to push a 70-65 lead into a commanding 81-65 advantage, which turned out to be the final score.
Slater hit a 3-pointer with 2:32 remaining and Dixon converted a three-point play with 1:40 left to key the run.
Umoja Gibson and Javan Johnson led DePaul (9-16, 3-11) with 18 points apiece.
The Blue Demons, who shot 7-of-25 from 3-point territory, went the final 3:43 without scoring.
Since defeating then-No. 8 Xavier 73-72 on Jan. 18, DePaul has now lost six straight.
Gibson converted a four-point play with 16:48 left and the Blue Demons pulled ahead 41-40.
Daniels dropped in a 15-foot jump shot with 11:30 remaining and Villanova led 50-49.
Daniels stayed hot and made consecutive 3-pointers to put the Wildcats ahead 62-56 with 8:02 to go.
The Blue Demons trailed 65-61 when Johnson hit a trey with 6:25 remaining.
DePaul built a 21-12 lead with 10:37 left in the first half following a 3-pointer by Johnson.
After missing their first six treys, Daniels connected to close the Wildcats within six with 9:18 remaining. That basket triggered an 8-0 Villanova run and the deficit was cut to 21-20.
The Wildcats went ahead by eight and then Caleb Murphy cut to the basket, received a pass and scored as DePaul trailed 33-27 with 3:18 to go.
Villanova led 37-34 at halftime despite shooting just 4-of-17 from 3-point territory.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
DePaul |
|
Villanova |
Umoja Gibson 18 |
Scoring |
Caleb Daniels 18 |
Umoja Gibson 3 |
Assists |
Eric Dixon 5 |
Eral Penn 9 |
Rebounds |
Eric Dixon 8 |
Da'Sean Nelson 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Eric Dixon 5 |
Philmon Gebrewhit 1 |
Steals |
Cam Whitmore 2 |
Javan Johnson 2 |
Blocks |
Eric Dixon 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
DePaul
|
65 |
43.9 |
7-25 |
8-10 |
12 |
24 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
Villanova
|
81 |
51.7 |
11-32 |
8-11 |
12 |
31 |
3 |
4 |
6 |