ROSEMONT, Ill. — Lowly DePaul gave Villanova all it could handle the first time the teams met, but the second-ranked Wildcats were in no mood for drama Monday night.
Villanova ran away early and cruised to a not-as-close-as-it-looked 75-62 victory in the middle game of a three-city trip. The win moved the Wildcats (25-2, 12-2) a step closer to a fourth straight Big East regular-season title.
Jalen Brunson had 18 points and four assists and Josh Hart added 16 points to help the Wildcats win their sixth straight and widen their lead over second-place Creighton and Xavier in the conference standings.
Villanova led 48-21 early in the second half but coach Jay Wright didn’t make use of his walk-on-laden bench. He used seven players — the same number that played in Saturday’s 73-57 win at Xavier — the entire night.
Mikal Bridges had 15 points and Kris Jenkins added 13 and eight rebounds.
The Blue Demons erased a double-digit second-half deficit before falling, 68-65, at the Pavilion just before the new year, but never had a shot Monday night after falling into a double-digit hole eight minutes in.
Chris Harrison-Docks had 18 points as DePaul (8-18, 1-12) dropped its ninth straight.
First half
The Wildcats took the lead for good 36 seconds into the game and were up 39-18 at intermission. DePaul helped dig its own hole by turning the ball over nine times to yield 12 Villanova points.
The Blue Demons made only seven first-half field goals and two were three-point heaves to beat the shot clock. The Wildcats, meanwhile, made six triples and turned the game into a rout with an 11-1 run midway through the period.
Happy return
Brunson played his high school ball in Chicago’s north suburbs and got a warm pregame welcome before pacing the Wildcats in the first half.
The sophomore played 18 of the first 20 minutes and collected 12 points on 3 for 5 shooting, had three steals and took a charge.
Bumps and bruises
Eric Paschall took a hard fall after being fouled driving to the basket late in the second half but stayed in the game to shoot free throws. It was a welcome sign for the Wildcats, who were missing forward Darryl Reynolds (rib injury) for the second straight game.
Last hurrah
A vocal group of Wildcats fans came for Monday’s game, Villanova’s last at Allstate Arena.
DePaul, which has played far from its Chicago campus since 1980, will move to the new Wintrust Arena near the city’s downtown convention center next season.
Allstate Arena, formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon, has been just fine for the Wildcats: They’ve won all eight times they’ve played here since the Blue Demons joined the Big East.
Up next
The Wildcats finish a three-game road swing with Saturday’s noon tip-off at Seton Hall. Villanova topped the Pirates, 76-46, on Jan. 16 at the Pavilion.
DePaul visits Butler on Sunday.