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No. 6 Villanova easily wins rematch with Seton Hall

Feb 17, 2015 - 5:51 AM Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Darrun Hilliard scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half and No. 6 Villanova rolled to an 80-54 win over Seton Hall on Monday night.

The conference-leading Wildcats (24-2, 11-2 Big East) avenged one of their two losses this season despite playing on short rest after edging Butler Saturday evening in Indianapolis on Hilliard's 3-pointer in the final seconds.

"This was a good win for us. Three games in six days, whether they are home or away doesn't matter; it is mentally grinding at this time of the year," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said.

Dylan Ennis scored 12 points and Daniel Ochefu had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Villanova, which has won seven in a row since a loss to Georgetown on Jan. 19.

JayVaughn Pinkston and Ryan Arcidiacono added 10 points each for the Wildcats.

Isaiah Whitehead scored 15 points to lead Seton Hall and Sterling Gibbs had 12 before he was ejected with 4:38 remaining for elbowing Arcidiacono in the face during a scramble for a loose ball.

Gibbs, the team's leading scorer, could face a suspension over the incident.

He apologized, saying he let his emotions get the best of him.

"Man that's not who I am," Gibbs tweeted. "I'm sorry to my family, friends, fans, and team for being an embarrassment. Even more sorry to (Arcidiacono).

"I let my emotions get the best of me and that wasn't acceptable at all. I hope you're alright and I will face any consequences coming. Sorry again (Arcidiacono) it really is weighing heavy on my heart."

The Pirates (15-11, 5-9) have lost five in a row.

Seton Hall has produced two high-profile upsets of Villanova in the past 11 months, including a 66-61 win in overtime on Jan. 3 to deny the Wildcats what would have been the first 14-0 start in program history.

The Pirates also beat the Wildcats in the quarterfinals of last year's Big East Tournament on Gibbs' step-back jumper at the buzzer.

But Villanova controlled this one from the tip, scoring the first seven points of the game on the way to a 14-4 lead.

Angel Delgado led a Seton Hall rally, scoring the first four points in a 9-0 run that got the Pirates as close as 14-13, but Hilliard had seven points in a row during a 12-0 burst that made it 26-13 and Villanova extended its lead to 36-20 at halftime.

The Wildcats held the Pirates under 27 percent shooting before the break and led by as much as 30 points the second half.

Game Notes

Seton Hall is 3-9 since beating the Wildcats last month ... Villanova leads the all-time series 66-39 ... Both teams play on the road Saturday, Villanova at Marquette and Seton Hall at St. John's.