No. 9 Villanova 84, La Salle 70: Dylan Ennis had 15 points and a career-high nine assists to propel the undefeated Wildcats to a road victory.

Darrun Hilliard II also had 15 points and made a pair of 3-pointers, while Ennis was 3-of-3 from behind the arc. JayVaughn Pinkston (12 points), Josh Hart (12) and Daniel Ochefu (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers for Villanova (7-0).

Jerell Wright was 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line en route to 19 points to pace the Explorers (4-3). Khalid Lewis chipped in 17 points, and Jordan Price had 10 points and five assists.

Hilliard's 12 first-half points fueled the Wildcats to a 47-29 lead at intermission as the team shot 58.1 percent from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in the opening 20 minutes. The score was close at 14-13 before Hart's layup and Hilliard's jumper ignited a 10-1 run that ended with two more baskets by Hart.

Six straight points by the Explorers drew them within 51-40 about five minutes into the second half, but Ennis made a 3-pointer and Kris Jenkins converted a layup while La Salle went more than five minutes without a field goal. Pinkston made two foul shots with 6:09 left as the lead hit 20 for the first time, although La Salle came on strong late to make the final score a bit more respectable.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Led by Hart, the Wildcats' bench outscored the Explorers' reserves, 24-15. ... Villanova has won seven straight Big 5 games against its Philadelphia rivals. ... Ochefu had eight rebounds, and Pinkston grabbed seven to pace the Wildcats.