Ennis Leads No. 7 Villanova Over Illinois 73-59

NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Ennis scored 18 points to lead No. 7 Villanova past Illinois 73-59 on Tuesday night.

Darrun Hilliard and Daniel Ochefu both scored 12 points.

Malcolm Hill scored a career-high 20 points for Illinois.

Rayvonte Rice, the leading scorer for the Illini, struggled from the field, shooting 4 of 13 and scoring just 10 points.

Villanova went on a 15-4 run after Ochefu's layup at the 6:21 of the second half and then slowly pulled away.

Villanova broke the game open with a 13-2 run that began after the first official timeout 15:13 of the first half, then Wildcats went up 21-11.

Illinois fought back and went on an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 25-22.

Villanova eventually took a 33-27 lead into the locker room at the half.

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TIP-INS

Villanova: Ennis was hot from the field shooting 7-for-10.

Illinois: Nnanna Egwu tied a season-high with nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

Villanova: The Wildcats host Temple on Sunday.

Illinois: The Illini host Oregon on Saturday.