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Bridges scores 20 as No. 1 Villanova pounds DePaul 103-85

Jimmy V Classic

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Donte DiVincenzo #10 and Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats react in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

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CHICAGO — Mikal Bridges scored 20 points, Phil Booth added 17 points and six assists, and No. 1 Villanova made it look easy, beating DePaul 103-85 on Wednesday in the Big East opener for both teams.

The Wildcats (13-0, 1-0 Big East) closed in on last year’s program-record 14-0 start and gave coach Jay Wright his 399th victory in 17 seasons at Villanova.

Bridges and Booth each made four 3-pointers, and the Wildcats nailed 15 of 31 from long range.

Chicago-area product Jalen Brunson had 16 points and five assists. Eric Paschall scored 16, and Villanova hit the 100-point mark for the third time this season.

Max Strus had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists for DePaul (7-6, 0-1). Marin Maric added 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Blue Demons dropped their 13th straight against ranked opponents. They fell to 3-21 against No. 1 teams.

The Wildcats beat DePaul for the 15th straight time and improved to 25-8 in the all-time series. They shot 18 of 34 and nailed 8 of 18 3-point attempts on the way to a 48-33 halftime lead.

Any remaining suspense got wiped out by an 11-0 run early in the second half that made it 61-36. Booth hit a 3 and a layup during that spurt, and Jermaine Samuels finished it with two free throws. Bridges’ 3 with just over 15 minutes left made it 69-39.

About the only thing Blue Demons fans had to cheer was when Bears great Otis Wilson was introduced in the closing minutes.

There was a scary moment late in the first half when DePaul’s Peter Ryckbosch collided with Booth going for a defensive rebound and banged his head on the court. He stayed down for a couple minutes before walking to the locker room.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats are No. 1 for the third week in a row and it’s not hard to see why.

DePaul: The Blue Demons couldn’t get their shots to fall. They were 29 of 71 overall and 6 of 23 on 3’s.

UP NEXT

Villanova: The Wildcats visit Butler on Saturday. The Bulldogs swept both games last season and handed Villanova its first loss after a 14-0 start.

DePaul: The schedule doesn’t get easier, with the Blue Demons visiting No. 6 Xavier on Saturday.