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VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova Wildcats were aware that their first half worksheets had been uneven of late. It was duly noted that Villanova had found itself down at halftime in three of its last four outings dating to a Dec. 23 win over NJIT.

On Saturday, however, they addressed that with a most impressive first 20 minutes, outscoring DePaul (9-8 overall, 3-1 BIG EAST) 45-24 en route to an 81-64 triumph before a sellout throng of 6,500 at the Pavilion. The No. 8 ranked Wildcats upped their mark to 15-1 overall, 3-1 BIG EAST.

The Blue Demons entered Saturday's contest atop the BIG EAST Conference but junior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, said the Wildcats' first half focus was aimed not at DePaul's perch but inward.

"It's not so much thinking about what the other team has done previously," stated Arcidiacono, who also added four assists and a steal in his 27 minutes of action. "It's more about how we want to start the game. We know that's been a struggle for us, starting games. We've worked on that in practice - trying to start practice like today.

"I think this all started from practicing, setting the tone from the jump in practice. I thought we set the tone today."

The Wildcats were on target from the field in the first period as Arcidiacono and senior Darrun Hilliard, who led all scorers with 21 points, combined to connect on 8-of-9 field goal attempts, including 5-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. Yet the 45 first half points were also a product of a defense that forced seven turnovers in the period which resulted in a 12-0 advantage of points off of turnovers.

One of those who was especially effective at that end of the floor was junior guard Dylan Ennis, who often shadowed the 2014 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Billy Garrett, Jr. Ennis would end the day with six points and seven assists but his contributions did not go unnoticed in the Villanova locker room. Garrett, meanwhile, scored the Blue Demons' first five points but only two more after that as he was held to 3-of-9 shooting on the day.

"In our program, the players really respect that (work)," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Usually the guys that come to the press conference are the guys who score the most points. Everyone knows that. But within our program, what Dylan does defensively and rebounding at the guard spot, is really valued.

"The teammates, the coaches, the people in the program, really respect that. He gets a lot of love in the program."

The Wildcats built on their lead and were in front 62-30 with 11:18 remaining to play. They were boosted in part by 13 3-pointers, which matched a season high set on Nov. 30 in a triumph over Delaware. Five different Wildcats drained at least one triple, led by Hilliard (four) and Arcidiacono (four).

The final count was 81-64.

"That was a great first half," stated Wright. "It started with our defense and we really shared the ball well. When you get a lead like that at halftime at home, it's pretty tough for an (opposing) team. I thought the first half was the key to the game."

Sophomore Kris Jenkins chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. Senior JayVaughn Pinkston added nine points and six caroms. Tommy Hamilton led DePaul with 12 points on the afternoon.

The Wildcats connected on 30-of-56 (.536) from the field and 13-of-29 (.448) from distance. The only blemish on this day at the offensive end was a season low effort at the line, where VU was just 8-of-18 (.444).

This was the first of consecutive home games for the Wildcats, who host Xavier at the Pavilion in another key BIG EAST clash on Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1).

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