Eric Dixon, Jordan Longino pace Villanova in rout of DePaul

Field Level Media|published: Sat 4th January, 14:22 2025

Jan 4, 2025; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Jhamir Brickus (2) collides with DePaul Blue Demons guard Jacob Meyer (12) in the first half at William B. Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Eric Dixon scored a game-high 25 points and Jordan Longino added 19 to lead four players in double figures as host Villanova rolled to a 100-56 rout of DePaul on Saturday afternoon.

Jhamir Brickus notched a double-double of 11 points and 11 assists for the Wildcats and Wooga Poplar had 17 points.

Long-range shooting and defense boosted Villanova (10-5, 3-1 Big East), which led by as many as 45 points against DePaul (9-6, 0-4). Four Wildcats drilled at least three 3-pointers, sparked by a 5-for-5 effort from Longino.

The Blue Demons, meanwhile, shot just 7-for-27 (25.9 percent from deep) compared to 59.3 percent for Villanova. DePaul averaged 11 made 3s per game this season entering play.

Jacob Meyer paced the Blue Demons with 13 points while Isaiah Rivera had 11, N.J. Benson and Layden Blocker each had 10. DePaul shot just 33.3 percent and finished minus-10 on the glass. The Wildcats' Enoch Boakye grabbed 14 rebounds.

A shoulder injury limited DePaul point guard Conor Enright to just eight minutes. Forward David Skogman, a fellow starter and the team's top rebounder, missed his third consecutive game with a right leg injury.

Villanova raced to a 13-0 lead over the opening 3:54, scoring on Dixon's turnaround jumper off the opening tip and never looking back. Dixon, who entered play as the nation's leading scorer at 26 points per game, contributed six points to the early surge.

DePaul registered its first points when Meyer swished three free throws at the 15:33 mark of the first half. The Blue Demons got their first field goal on a Blocker jump shot with 13:54 to go in the half.

While the Wildcats regrouped to take a 23-point advantage late in the half, Benson scored five points during a 10-0 response to give the Blue Demons optimism. DePaul allowed enough time for one last Villanova possession, though, and the hosts capitalized with a Dixon trey from the top of the key in the closing seconds to take a 48-32 lead into the break.

DePaul's Big East regular-season losing streak grew to 36 games. Saturday marked the Wildcats' largest margin of victory against the Blue Demons in school history.

--Field Level Media