CHICAGO, Ill. – A blistering display of 3-point shooting helped lift No. 12/13 Villanova to a 91-71 victory over DePaul Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena. The Wildcats are now 20-6 overall, 9-4 BIG EAST. It marks the eighth consecutive season in which Villanova has won 20 or more games.
 
The Wildcats drained a season-high 18 3-pointers – in just 26 attempts (.692). Villanova has drained 35 triples in its last two outings (17 at Temple in a 76-56 win Sunday).
 
Sophomore Saddiq Bey led a balanced attack with 22 points, seven assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals. Junior Collin Gillespie and freshman Justin Moore each supplied 17 points while junior Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree contributed a season-high 11 points and seven caroms in 16:03 of action.
 
Villanova enjoyed a 35-28 edge on the glass and improved to 15-1 this season when it collects more rebounds than its opponent.
 
"We just shot the ball great," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright, whose team posted its 20^th straight victory over the Blue Demons. "We've been on the other side of that when teams have done it to us. When someone is shooting the ball like that it's kind of hard for the opponent to do anything.
 
"We had a second half like that against Temple and I just hope we can keep it going. We just did a really good job of sharing the ball and knocking down 3's."
 
Through 5:01 of the first half the contest was deadlocked at seven. DePaul (13-13 overall, 1-12 BIG EAST) leaned on its muscle, scoring all of its points in the paint, while Nova got 3-pointers from Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to help get it started offensively. The Blue Demons' first 3-pointer of the night, from Jalen Coleman-Lands, gave them a 10-7 edge.
 
A 3-pointer from Jermaine Samuels kicked off an 11-2 surge that carried Villanova to an 18-12 lead at the 11:24 mark of the period. Nova was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc but just 1-of-6 from inside it. Robinson-Earl was whistled for his second personal foul and went to the bench at that juncture.
 
Two more triples by Gillespie and another from Moore helped Villanova push its advantage into double digits at 29-15. Over the first 12:27 of the game, the 'Cats were 2-of-9 inside the arc and 8-of-10 from beyond it. But with Cosby-Roundtree also picking up two personal fouls, Paul Reed helped the Blue Demons go on a 6-0 burst that didn't end until Moore dropped in a driving runner. At that point the Villanova lead was 29-21.
 
Cosby-Roundtree returned to the action with the two fouls and gave Nova a lift. He would finish the first 20 minutes with seven points and five rebounds in 7:28. Meanwhile, two key DePaul players, Coleman-Lands and Reed spent most of the final minutes of the period watching, each with two personal fouls.
 
"I thought the difference between this game and the first time we played them was rebounding," noted Wright. "We got hammered on the glass at our place (Jan. 14) and I thought Dhamir was a big difference for us tonight."
 
"I think it was just me coming in to do whatever the team needed," added Cosby-Roundtree. "I was focused on defense and rebounding. I wasn't really worried about scoring. I wanted to play hard for every possession I could."
 
That boost helped Villanova close the period with a flourish. They ended the half on a 10-0 run capped by a Saddiq Bey triple just before the halftime horn. That bucket pushed the score to 46-26. Gillespie led the way with 14 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. Moore contributed 10 points.
 
In all, Villanova was 10-of-13 from distance in the period (.769).
 
The return of Coleman-Lands and Reed to the helped ignite DePaul's offense. The Blue Demons score 10 points in the first 4:01 of the period but Nova matched it, dropping in two more 3-pointers. The 'Cats were on top 56-36 at that point.
 
Villanova stretched its margin to 77-46 as the 3's continued to fall. Sophomore Cole Swider became the sixth Wildcat to drain at least one (the Rhode Island made a pair).
 
The Wildcats have five BIG EAST games remaining on the regular season slate. They will be back on the road Saturday, when Villanova visits Xavier for a game that is set for 2:30 p.m. (Fox and 610 ESPN Radio).
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.