Justin Moore’s clutch 3-pointer lifts Villanova past 24-point underdog DePaul in Big East

Justin Moore made a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the second half and sixth-seeded Villanova escaped a huge upset by beating 24-point underdog DePaul 58-57 on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

Jalen Terry’s pull-up jumper gave the Blue Demons (3-29) a 57-55 lead with 1: 13 left, but DePaul could not pad its lead. Villanova was down two with 17 seconds left and came out of a timeout with a play to get Moore a good look from 3, and he swished the shot.

DePaul rushed down the court with no timeouts left, but couldn’t get off a shot, turning the ball over and ending its season with a 20-game losing streak.

The Wildcats (18-14) entered the Big East Tournament desperately in need of victories to pad their NCAA Tournament resume in their second season under coach Kyle Neptune.

Terry finished with 18 points to lead 11th-seeded DePaul.

The Blue Demons endured maybe the worst season in Big East history, becoming the first team to go 0-20 in the conference during the regular season. Coach Tony Stubblefield was fired in late January and replaced by assistant Matt Brady, who finished his stint without a win.

The Wildcats went up 52-50 on Eric Dixon’s 3 with 4: 43 left in the second half, but Elijah Fisher muscled his way inside for a layup to tie it with 3: 25 remaining.

Dixon scored 21 points to lead the Wildcats.

Da’Sean Nelson put DePaul up 55-52 on a three-point play with 1: 52 left, but Dixon responded with a straight-on 3 to tie it moments later.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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