PHILDELPHIA, Pa. – On a day when Jalen Brunson returned to Villanova for the first time as a professional, his former understudy assumed a role the 2018 consensus national player of the year knew well a season ago. Sparked by a career-high 30 points from sophomore Collin Gillespie, Villanova outlasted Georgetown 77-65 Sunday at Wells Fargo Center.
 
The game was tied at 53 with 7:27 to play before the Wildcats went on a 16-2 run to gain control.
 
Senior Eric Paschall added 24 points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Jermaine Samuels collected a career-best 16 rebounds along with providing outstanding defense on Georgetown senior forward Jessie Govan (0-of-9 shooting on the day). That's the highest number of rebounds pulled down by a Wildcat since Daniel Ochefu had 18 at Seton Hall in 2014.
 
Wildcats senior guard Phil Booth added 14 points but was 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
"That was a great defensive game on Georgetown's part," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "I know it looks like Phil didn't make shots but they were just really good defensively. They're physical and long. They did a great job in ball screens.
 
"This was just a great game between two really good teams. I hope the next one against them gets snowed out so we don't have to play."
 
In addition to the work of Gillespie and Samuels, another sophomore, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree played a key role scoring six points to go with seven rebounds.
 
"I feel like our sophomores, who are young guys, are starting to step up," Wright said. "We need it and that's what a season is. By this point in the season sophomores and freshman are different than when they started the year. I think ours are starting to get it."
 
Some early offense from Eric Paschall helped Villanova grab a 10-8 lead over the Hoyas in the contest's first five minutes. The product of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., converted all three of his field goal attempts for seven points in that span.
 
A steal and layup by Booth pushed the Wildcats' advantage to 19-15. But a short while later, the Baltimore native was whistled for his second foul and headed to the bench at the 10:14 mark of the first period. Not long after, though, Hoyas forward Jessie Govan picked up his third foul of the game.
 
After 12:13 of action, Villanova held a 24-17 lead over Georgetown but an 11-1 burst by the Hoyas gave Georgetown the lead at 28-25 with 4:27 to go in the first half. The 'Cats moved back in front on a Gillespie 3-ball at 29-28.
 
A back and forth half saw the Hoyas strike last as a James Akinjo 3-pointer just before the halftime horn gave Georgetown a 34-33 lead at intermission. The Hoyas were 11-of-32 from the field in the first 20 minutes (.344) while VU was 11-of-31 (.355). Gillespie's 15 points led the Wildcats in the period.
 
Triples from Gillespie and Paschall sparked a 6-0 Wildcats surge to open the second half but driving field goals by Georgetown's Mac McClung brought the Hoyas right back. It was 41-40 after the first 4:45 of the second half.
 
The see-saw continued until the Wildcats went on their run, sparked by defense.
 
Prior to the game Villanova paid tribute to Brunson, who bypassed his final season of eligibility to enter the National Basketball Association Draft after graduating from college in three years.
 
"It was intimidating," stated Wright. "We wanted him to have his senior day today but I didn't want this team to be affected by that. He's a real legend in this program, not because he was player of the year but more for how he conducted himself every day. We refer to him a lot.
 
"We wanted to do that for Jalen because he missed having a senior day. It's intimidating to all of us – me too. We all want to live up to how he played."
 
Gillespie – Brunson's road roommate in his freshman year – said he learned from his former backcourt-mate's work ethic and attention to detail.
 
"He took everything he did seriously," noted the sophomore.
 
The win was Villanova's tenth in a row and improved their mark to 18-4 overall, 9-0 in the BIG EAST. Georgetown dropped to 14-8 overall, 4-5 BIG EAST.
 
"We've made strides on the defensive end," Gillespie said. "We really try to lock in. I think we've done a pretty good job of defending and rebounding in the last few games but we're still looking to get better."
 
On Wednesday night, Villanova returns to its campus home, the Finneran Pavilion, for another BIG EAST clash. The Wildcats last hosted a game in the facility on Jan. 8, a 76-71 triumph over St. John's. Wednesday night's duel gets underway at 8:05 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and 610 ESPN Radio.