Villanova dominates DePaul in 67-43 victory at Finneran Pavilion

The Villanova Wildcats dominated the DePaul Blue Demons in the Big East Conference with a 67-43 victory. Justin Moore led the way with a game-high 16 points, while Eric Dixon had a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds. The win over the Blue Demons is the 22nd straight win the Wildcats has every time both teams matched up.

Villanova were huge odds favorites before the game: ML -2800 and the spread set at -17,5. Odds from Caesars Sportsbook.

After their impressive 29-game winning streak ended against Marquette last week, the Wildcats dropped three spots in the Top 25 poll. They then went on to defeat Georgetown and DePaul. But for the Wildcats players, it was about winning and not losing.

Regardless of the outcome, Moore stated that the team's main goal was to get better and regain its confidence. 

"Whether it's a win or loss, it's just important for us to come back and get better," the shooting guard said. "That's what we take pride in, coming back the next day and getting better and having a great attitude."

Justin Moore in the zone

Moore started the game with 11 points for the Wildcats, and he attributed his success to his aggressive play. "I was just being aggressive and taking my looks when they're there," said Moore.

He also mentioned that he was trying to get to the rim and make shots, "Being aggressive and trying to get to the rim and take my open shots."

Moore, who averaged 17.3 points during his last eight games, scored 11 of his team's first 14 points in the first half to help the team take a commanding lead. He also made three three-pointers during his stellar first half.

The shooting guard then cooled a bit in the second half and could only score five points. Other than his 16 points, Moore finished the game with three rebounds and a single assist.

Following Moore in points, point guard Collin Gillespie put up a shooting clinic with 14 points. Gillespie also had two rebounds and assists.

DePaul's struggles

The Blue Demons fought hard throughout the game, but they were eventually overwhelmed by the Wildcats' second-half performance. Javan Johnson led the team's resistance with 16 points. Following Johnson, Jalen Terry scored ten more points for the Blue Demons.

The first 10 minutes of the game were fairly even, with neither team gaining a significant lead over the other.

The Wildcats' 7-0 run gave them a nine-point lead, but the Blue Demons responded with a couple of three-point shots from Johnson and cut the lead to 24-20 with six minutes left on the first half.

During the last six minutes of the first half, the Wildcats built a 15-point advantage to a 35-22 lead at the half. Villanova only shut down the Blue Demons during the last two minutes of the half.

The Blue Demons were able to cut the deficit to six points at the second media timeout, then the Wildcats responded with a scoring drought that lasted for over four minutes.

The drought ended when Gillespie drained a three-pointer and retained the momentum for Villanova to secure a win.