NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Villanova 68, DePaul 65

When: 6:30 PM ET, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Tim Clougherty, # Lamar Simpson, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 6500

By The Sports Xchange

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The consistent sellout crowd of 6,500 at The Pavilion isn't used to losing. In fact, it almost never happens at Villanova's on-campus arena.

Yet down the stretch, the anxious crowd was buzzing with a bit of disbelief.

The top-ranked Wildcats received enough big plays from Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson in the final 90 seconds to stave off a huge upset.

Hart scored 25 points and Brunson added 13 points as Villanova pulled away from DePaul for a wild 68-65 victory on Wednesday night.

"Having three seniors really helps," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Jalen is an old soul and it's like having another senior out there. We're really lucky that way."

Kris Jenkins contributed 12 points and Mikal Bridges had eight for the Wildcats (13-0), who extended their winning streak to 19 games dating to last season's six-game run through the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova also won its 45th straight game at its on-campus arena on the Main Line, one shy of tying a record of 46 set from 2007 to 2011, in the Big East opener for both teams.

It was far from easy, however.

"They forced us into that game, going one-on-one," Wright said. "That's tough. That's their game. They're smart at it. It's not ours."

Tre'Darius McCallum led DePaul (7-7) with 19 points. Billy Garrett Jr. scored 17 points and Eli Cain had 14.

It was the third consecutive loss for the Blue Demons, who nearly pulled off one of their biggest wins in recent memory.

"It was a daunting challenge and I thought for the most part we met the challenge," DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. "We made our fair share of mistakes, but it's a one-possession game at the end."

Villanova led 39-35 early in the second half and went on a 12-4 run to go up 51-39 when Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer for a 51-39 advantage with 11:01 remaining.

DePaul scored the next 14 points to take a 53-51 lead. Cain hit a 3-pointer, Garrett followed with a baseline jumper and McCallum knocked down a trey to tie the score.

Joe Hanel's tip-in gave the Blue Demons a two-point advantage with 6:26 remaining.

Hart snapped a 58-all tie with an impressive three-point play on a driving runner in the lane.

But Garrett came right back with a tough layup in the lane to get back within 61-60 with 1:40 remaining.

Hart responded with two free throws for a 63-60 lead.

"I just wanted to be aggressive," said Hart, who was 8 of 15 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line to go along with six rebounds. "Coach put me in that position and I just wanted to help my team."

DePaul refused to wilt and Cyrus worked free for a layup while closing back within one at 63-62 with 37.1 seconds remaining.

Hart then connected on a 3-pointer before Garrett followed with a difficult three-point play to cut the lead to 66-65 with five seconds left.

Brunson sealed the win with two clutch free throws with 4.4 seconds left.

Garrett had an open look from 3-point land at the top of the key but misfired off the backboard and rim before bouncing out to the free throw line.

"Our guys showed great heart," Leitao said.

The game was close throughout the first half as Villanova was unable to pull away from pesky DePaul.

Jenkins knocked down two long 3-pointers for the Wildcats late in the first half for a 30-22 lead.

But DePaul dug in defensively and went to the locker room trailing by just eight points at 32-24.

Hart (10) and Jenkins (nine) scored 19 of Villanova's 32 points.

DePaul struggled with its shooting, going 12 of 33 in the first half while missing all nine of its shots from beyond the arc.

NOTES: Villanova won its fifth consecutive Big East regular-season opener. ... DePaul fell to 3-20 against No. 1-ranked teams. ... DePaul G Billy Garrett Jr. scored in double figures for the 75th time in his career. ... Villanova G Phil Booth missed his 10th straight game with tendinitis in his left knee. Mikal Bridges continued to start in his place. ... Villanova won for the 13th straight time in the series against DePaul.

Top Game Performances

DePaul		Villanova
Tre'Darius McCallum 19	Scoring	Josh Hart 25
Eli Cain 4	Assists	Jalen Brunson 6
Tre'Darius McCallum 7	Rebounds	Mikal Bridges 7
Billy Garrett Jr. 5	Free Throws Made	Josh Hart 8
Tre'Darius McCallum 3	Steals	Kris Jenkins 2
Tre'Darius McCallum 2	Blocks	Mikal Bridges 1

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
DePaul	65	43.1	3-17	6-7	11	30	2	5	7
Villanova	68	50.0	8-26	18-26	12	28	3	4	14