Villanova Pulls Away Late Against DePaul

Wednesday, February 8

Villanova, Pa.

7:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

9-16,3-11Big East

Villanova

11-13,5-8Big East

DePaul

Villanova

2/8/2023 10:19:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Final Box

Gibson and Johnson combine for 36 points

VILLANOVA, PA. – Despite a closely fought game, DePaul men's basketball dropped its road matchup against Villanova, 81-65, Wednesday evening. The Blue Demons held the lead for over 15 minutes in a game that featured 11 lead changes and three ties.

Javan Johnson and Umoja Gibson combined for 36 of DePaul's 65 points, each scoring 18. Gibson hit a career milestone in the second half with his 2,000 career point, becoming the 20^th active Division 1 player to reach the mark. Eral Penn nabbed a game-best nine rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
DePaul took an early 21-12 lead that included seven points by Johnson. The Wildcats surge back to take their first lead of the game, 28-22, with seven minutes left in the half on a 16-1 run. Villanova held onto a three-point halftime lead as both teams had nearly identical 48.3 percent shooting.

DePaul retook the lead before the first media timeout in the second half on a four-point play by Gibson. The game became a back-and-forth contest as DePaul held onto a one-point advantage, 49-48 with 12 minutes left to play. Villanova separated themselves with back-to-back three pointers following the under-eight timeout. DePaul got as close as four, thanks to a Johnson three-pointer, before Villanova ended the game on a scoring run.

OF NOTE

Gibson is the second active player to reach 2,000 career points and 150 career games played.
Penn surpassed 800 career rebounds, sitting at 804 in his career and nearing 200 on the season with 184.
DePaul has recorded double-digit assists in 22 of the team's 25 games this season. The Blue Demons finished tonight with 12.

UP NEXT
The Blue Demons have nearly a week before its next game as they host St. John's on Feb. 14, 2023. The game, sponsored by Bumble, will be celebrated as Billy Blue Demon Night with an 8 p.m. tip off on FS1. Single-game tickets for upcoming games can be purchased at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets.