Hilliard, No. 6 Villanova rout DePaul
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Rosemont, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Darrun Hilliard poured in 22 points, Villanova hit 15 3-pointers and the sixth-ranked Wildcats routed DePaul, 87-62, in a Big East clash from Allstate Arena.
Hilliard connected on 5-of-7 from distance, while Ryan Arcidiacono hit all four of his tries from the arc for 14 points and a game-high six assists. James Bell posted 16 points, JayVaughn Pinkston had 14 and 11 rebounds and Kris Jenkins scored 11 off the bench in Villanova's (22-2, 10-1 Big East) sixth straight victory.
Brandon Young deposited a game-high 27 points for DePaul (10-15, 2-10), which sits in a tie with Butler on the bottom of the Big East standings and hasn't won since Jan. 14.
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Villanova led 26-22 midway through the first half when Bell's 3 sparked an 11-0 surge. Young countered with five straight points to cut Nova's lead to 37-27, but Arcidiacono silenced the crowd with another trey.
The Wildcats closed the half on an 11-4 run and owned a commanding 48-31 advantage at the break. Eight different Nova players scored over the first 20 minutes.
Nova scored the first six points of the second half to end any thoughts of a comeback. Hilliard's 3-pointer before the first media timeout extended it to 61-34.
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Game Notes
Villanova has won 11 of 12 ... This was the first of three straight road tests for the Wildcats ... Nova shot 18-of-20 from the free throw line ... DePaul played its first game since leading scorer Cleveland Melvin left the university.