Villanova Explodes in 2nd Half to Down DePaul

Villanova erupted in the second half with a tremendous amount of offensive firepower to take down the Blue Demons 94-71 at Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.

With the scored tied 40-40 at halftime, Villanova (14-9, 5-5) came out of the locker room shooting lights out. The Wildcats shot 68.8% from the floor in the second half and a ridiculous 85.7% from three point range.

“That was our best game of the year,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright.

DePaul (10-12, 1-8) found themselves outgunned and a second late on the defensive end throughout the second half.

“I just thought they were really good tonight and under control and our defense really wasn’t as great or energetic as it’s been,” said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell.

“We just didn’t come out with as much energy as we had in our last game,” said DePaul sophomore Jamee Crockett. “We didn’t do what we have to do on defense.”

A lot of Villanova’s scoring punch came from guard Ryan Arcidiacono. The freshman guard led all scorers with 23 points on seven of 12 from the field including five 3-pointers.

Six Wildcats finished in double figures. Darrun Hilliard scored 17 points. James Bell contributed 16 points while Jayvaughn Pinkston and Mouphtaou Yarou added 11 points apiece. Tony Chennault came off the bench to add 10 points.

Four Blue Demons finished in double figures. Cleveland Melvin led the way for DePaul with 19 points. Sophomore Jamee Crockett scored 16 while going five of 11 from the floor. Senior guard Worrel Clahar scored 12 points off the bench to tie his career-high while Brandon Young finished with 11.

DePaul goes out on the road next for a trip up to Milwaukee to face Marquette at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Box Score

Notes:

- Tuesday was the 24th all-time meeting between DePaul and Villanova... the Wildcats lead the series by a 16-8 margin... Villanova has won six straight meetings in the series.

- Brandon Young’s first three-pointer moved him into a tie for 18th on DePaul’s career three-point field goal list... he is tied with Rashon Burno (1998-02).

- Worrel Clahar’s three three-pointers matched a career high... previously he made three three’s at Louisville on Jan. 14, 2012.