CHICAGO, Ill. – A superb defensive effort and a season-high 28 points from Collin Gillespie helped No. 19/15 Villanova to a 79-64 victory over DePaul (9-5 overall, 0-4 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.
 
The Wildcats trailed 37-32 at halftime before delivering a dominant second half defensive performance, limiting the Blue Demons to 6-of-24 shooting from the field. Villanova also forced six DePaul turnovers after intermission.
 
Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 33 points for DePaul. For Villanova, junior Justin Moore shook off first half foul trouble to contribute 21 points.
 
The win is Villanova's fourth straight in BIG EAST action after falling at Creighton in its conference opener on Dec. 17.
 
"They're a good team and that's a good road win for us," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who posted his 501^st win as Wildcats' head coach. "Freeman-Liberty is incredible. He was amazing. We really couldn't stop him. He's a real physical athletic guard and he took it to us.
 
"I was proud of our guys. Playing on the road, we had a rough first half. Justin and Slate were in foul trouble. Collin and Justin held us together. Those two were just outstanding."
 
A 5-0 burst by the Blue Demons forced an early Villanova timeout after 4:38 of action. DePaul held an early 7-2 edge as the Wildcats searched for an offensive spark, sinking 1-of-4 from the field to open the contest. The second long 3-pointer of the day by Freeman-Liberty pushed the Blue Demons edge to 10-4 before an 8-1 run, capped by a Caleb Daniels 3-pointer, gave Nova its first lead of the day at 12-11.
 
The Wildcats built a 23-19 lead after a Jermaine Samuels bucket, but the offensive fireworks of Freeman-Liberty brought the Blue Demons right back. Four points from the senior – and a free throw from Brandon Johnson - put DePaul back on top 24-23 at the 5:09 mark. At that point Freeman-Liberty had scored 15 of DePaul's points.
 
With Moore on the sidelines after picking up his second foul, Gillespie and Daniels helped step into the void. After Gillespie was credited with two points on a Blue Demons' goaltending call, Villanova led 28-24 at the four-minute mark of the period.
 
But DePaul responded with a 10-0 burst to grab its largest lead of the period, 34-28 with just under two minutes to play in the half. When the final horn for the period sounded, the Blue Demons held a 37-32 lead.
 
Freeman-Liberty's 22 points led all scorers. Gillespie led Villanova with 11 points.
 
Moore's return to the court to start the second half gave Villanova an immediate boost. The junior scored five straight points and the game was tied at 37 after just 1:56 of the period had been played.
 
Villanova's defense found a groove and that allowed its offense space to flow. A pair of Gillespie 3-pointers and another three points that came after he was fouled on an attempted shot from deep, helped the Wildcats move out to a 53-43 lead after 8:06 of the second half.
 
"We didn't really change anything at halftime," said Wright. "It was more a matter of getting Justin and Caleb back out there."
 
While the Wildcats were able to keep the Blue Demons in check – holding them without a field goal for more than six minutes – they did send DePaul to the line. The Blue Demons converted six straight and after a Freeman-Liberty basket they were back to within 55-49. A Yor Anei bucket shaved the lead to 55-51 with 9:08 to play in the second half.
 
In that sequence, Jermaine Samuels was whistled for his fourth foul.
 
But Villanova stood firm defensively and methodically stretched the lead. It closed the contest on a 24-13 run to post its 21^st straight victory against the Blue Demons.
 
In his return from a two-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols, Daniels contributed 11 points and three boards.
 
The Wildcats are next slated for a return engagement with Xavier, this one in Cincinnati on Wednesday night. The action at the Cintas Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and the Villanova IHeart Radio Network).