NEWARK, N.J. -- Villanova never quite shook off an undermanned Seton Hall team on Wednesday night, but the Wildcats’ hot shooting was enough to leave the Prudential Center with an 83-67 win.
No. 8 Villanova (14-1, 3-0 Big East) hit 12 three-pointers to take care of the Pirates (10-6, 1-2 Big East) after hitting 14 in a 30-point win over Providence on Sunday.
Turning point
Midway through the second half, Villanova freshman Josh Hart stole the ball near halfcourt and soared in for an easy two-handed jam. The open-court dunk started a mini 7-3 run to extend Villanova’s lead to 64-50.
Seton Hall called a timeout and never got within single digits the rest of the way.
Big men on campus
A pass-first Ryan Arcidiacono this year tied his season high with 14 points, while Darrun Hilliard scored a team-best 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting and four three-pointers.
With Seton Hall missing key pieces, Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs did a little bit of everything, posting 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
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Numbers game
• Villanova came in averaging 16.5 assists per game, tied for 19th-best in the country. On Wednesday, the Wildcats racked up 14 helpers.
• Villanova junior JayVaughn Pinkston eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier with a dunk late in the second half.
Missing stars
Seton Hall was shorthanded Wednesday night, playing without its second-leading scorer Fuquan Edwin (knee) and the Big East’s top rebounder Eugene Teague (concussion).
Did you know?
In 2011-12, Edwin became the first player in Big East history to lead the country in steals per game (3.0). This season, the senior is averaging 3.2 per game, good for fourth in the nation.
History
These two teams have met each year since 1947, with Villanova leading the all-time series, 65-38.
Last season on Feb. 25, Seton Hall beat Villanova, 66-65, for the first time since 2004 by scoring five straight points in the final 16 seconds.
What’s next?
Villanova visits Madison Square Garden on Saturday to take on St. John’s at 1 p.m. Seton Hall travels to Marquette Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip.