PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A superb defensive effort helped carry the No. 18/18 Villanova Wildcats to an impressive 80-52 BIG EAST victory Sunday over Seton Hall before 16,444 at Wells Fargo Center.
 
The win was the Wildcats' eighth in a row and boosted their record to 16-4 overall, 7-0 BIG EAST. Senior Phil Booth scored 25 points to lead Villanova. The Wildcats also got 17 points from Eric Paschall, whose final bucket lifted him into the 1,000 point club at VU.
 
Villanova limited the Pirates to .345 shooting on the day and clamped down on Hall star Myles Powell, The BIG EAST's second leading scorer when the day began finished with three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field.
 
"I'm proud of our defensive effort," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "I thought Joe Cremo and Collin Gillespie really did a good job on Myles Powell. He's a (heck) of a player. In the second half, it was just one of those days where we made shots."
 
Indeed, Villanova expanded its 30-20 halftime advantage with a 20-6 spurt that effectively gave the 'Cats control of the contest. The Wildcats connected on 12-of-17 field goal attempts, including 9-of-13 from beyond the arc in the opening 11 minutes of the second half.
 
Myles Cale was the Pirates' only double digit scorer, finishing with 14 points. Seton Hall fell to 12-8 overall, 3-5 BIG EAST.
 
The lead grew to as many as 35 points with 3:53 left in the contest.
 
Booth and Paschall did much of the heavy lifting at the offensive end in the first 20 minutes, scoring 26 of Villanova's 30 points. The Wildcats were limited by 10 turnovers in the period but also forced the Pirates into 14 miscues of their own.
 
"I thought that was our best defensive half of the year," stated Wright.
 
The Wildcats offense got untracked in the second half and Wright thought enhanced ball movement had a lot to do with why that was so.
 
"They always do a good job of defending us," stated Wright. "They have an aggressiveness that forces you into 1-on-1 play. We were tentative and turned the ball over. In the second half we were aggressive, moved the ball, shared the ball and didn't turn it over."
 
Villanova outscored Seton Hall 20-6 in the first five minutes of the second half to expand its lead to 50-26. It was in control the rest of the way.
 
Wright was asked if he was surprised at a surge that has taken his team to the top of the BIG EAST after a 2-2 November that included a 74-46 loss to Michigan at the Finneran Pavilion.
 
"After we played Michigan, we knew we had work to do," Wright stated. "We knew we had work to do before that. After a game like that, we knew that this was the reality.
 
"We still have a lot of work to do. A lot of this (success) has to do with Eric and Phil. I think they're two of the best players in the country. They're leading the team and they're not just doing it by scoring points. They're defending and rebounding and getting their teammates shots. And what they do off the floor is impactful on these young guys."
 
Villanova heads back on the road for its next BIG EAST action. It will travel to Chicago to face DePaul Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena at 8 p.m. eastern time. The game will be carried on CBS Sports Network and heard via ESPN 610 Radio in the Philadelphia area.