INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – An early scoring lift from senior Eric Paschall and balanced production later helped Villanova roll past Butler 80-72 on Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse here. The Wildcats improved to 15-4 overall, 6-0 in the BIG EAST while the Bulldogs dropped to 12-8 overall, 3-4 in league action.
 
Villanova trailed 44-43 before reeling off a 9-0 run to take control. Senior Phil Booth added 17 points while Collin Gillespie (11 points), Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (11 points) and Saddiq Bey also reached double figures.
 
"I thought we played well against a very good team," stated VU head coach Jay Wright. "They shot 48 percent but we did  a pretty good job defensively. Offensively we got some balance and that helped us."
 
There were five lead changes in the game's first 4:56, with the last of those coming on Paschall's second 3-pointer of the night to give the Wildcats a 10-9 edge at the first official time out. Three more lead changes – the last coming on a 3-pointer by Butler's Jordan Tucker – gave the Bulldogs an 18-16 advantage as the contest approached the 11 minute mark of the first period.
 
But Paschall's work from beyond the arc – he drained two more from distance – helped Villanova reclaim a 26-25 edge. A corner 3-pointer from graduate transfer Joe Cremo and four straight points from Booth helped VU build a 33-25 lead before a Sean McDermott 3-ball narrowed the gap for the Bulldogs as the game dipped below the five minute mark in the half.
 
Another 3-pointer – this one from Bey - helped Villanova establish a 36-28 lead before the Bulldogs bounced right back with a 7-2 burst to narrow the deficit to 38-35 with 1:39 to go before halftime. An Aaron Thompson drive for a basket cut the lead to 38-37 before Booth sank a 3-pointer with a hand in his face for the final points of the period.
 
Villanova took a 41-37 lead into its locker room at halftime. Paschall (14 points) and Booth (13) teamed up for 27 of VU's 41 first half points. It was a very clean half of basketball as the two teams combined for a total of three turnovers – two by the 'Cats and one from Butler.
 
The Bulldogs outscored Villanova 9-5 in the opening minutes of the second half to reclaim the lead at 44-43. However, the Cats responded with a 9-0 run, all on 3-pointers, with two by Collin Gillespie and another from Bey, to build a 52-44 edge after 5:20 had gone by in the second half.
 
Butler kept scoring, though, and drew back to within 57-51 after Aaron Thompson sank a 3-pointer. Strong work on the offensive glass by Jermaine Samuels and Bey helped VU push the margin to 61-54 at the 10:01 mark of the second half.
 
At every turn, Villanova had an answer and built a 68-56 lead after Paschall drained his fifth triple of the night. Butler kept pushing but the 'Cats maintained their cool to collect their seventh straight victory.
 
Paschall's fast start did not gone unnoticed.
 
"We've had a number of games like that this year where he or Phil come out in a tough environment and set the tone," Wright said. "Eric did that tonight and that really got us off on the right foot."
 
Villanova will now turn its attention to a date on Sunday with Seton Hall at the Wells Fargo Center (2:30 p.m./Fox 29 and 610 ESPN Radio).