Saturday’s meeting between former Big East foes failed to deliver the excitement of the old league, as Villanova pulled away from UConn for an 81-61 win.

Despite a clumsy start in which the Wildcats hit just three of their first 16 shots, they were able to create a bit of separation with sound defense and dominant rebounding, building an eight-point lead.

UConn closed to within 18-14, but that would be as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the day. An Eric Paschall and-one and a Phil Booth three helped push the lead back to eight, 24-16. Villanova would outscore UConn 15-2 the rest of the half, taking a 39-18 lead into the break.

‘Nova shot just 37% in the first half, but held UConn to 25% and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. It wasn’t Villanova’s prettiest basketball, but the ‘Cats got the job done with grit and effort.

Jalen Brunson displayed the full range of his offensive game in the first three minutes of the second half, opening the scoring with a three. Then he pump-faked and knocked down a mid-range jumper. Finally, he stole a pass and finished with an up-and-under layup. After starting the game just 1-7, Brunson made eight of his final nine attempts.

Brunson’s hot hand sparked the offense, as the Wildcats made 10 of their first 14 shots in the second half, capped off by a Donte DiVincenzo three that pushed the lead to 70-39. UConn was able to trim a few points off the final margin as ‘Nova went into cruise control, but the ‘Cats were never threatened.

Brunson led the way with 23 points, adding four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Early in the game he struggled as much as he has all season, and it was good to see him stick with his offensive game. Once he found his rhythm, he went from ice cold to scorching hot in the blink of an eye.

DiVincenzo was again excellent off the bench, scoring 17 points to go with four rebounds, an assist and a block.

Booth struggled with his shot, but had a solid all-around game. He had nine points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Mikal Bridges chipped in nine points, nine rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Omari Spellman was another Wildcat who struggled shooting the ball, but he still had a major impact on the game. He managed nine points, but also had 12 rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal. He was assertive and aggressive, attacking the basket and doing work in the post. Six of his 10 FG attempts came from two PT range. He had an emphatic dunk, several forceful rebounds, and those two blocks.

Eric Paschall was quiet offensively with just five points, but he too impacted the game. He had seven rebounds, four assists and a block and provided great energy.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree had arguably the most impactful game of his young career with six points, six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block.

Collin Gillespie chipped in three points and a rebound in just 10 minutes.

It certainly wasn’t Villanova’s best or prettiest offensive performance. For the game ‘Nova shot 41% from the floor and 37.5% from three. The ‘Cats did knock down 10 of 11 from the foul line. They did a good job staying patient and working the offense, while relying on the defense as the foundation.

Jay Wright deserves credit here for Villanova’s ability to play through cold shooting stretches. Certainly for instilling the commitment to defense as the base for what Villanova does, but also the extension of that where he allows the players freedom on the offensive end as long as they are doing what is expected of them defensively. The freedom of the players to shoot open shots without fear does wonders for their confidence and goes a long way in helping them calmly navigate runs of cold shooting. That effect was on full display today, as ‘Nova patiently continued to work the offense, secure in the knowledge they could get good shots, and confidently rising up and shooting those shots. They never feel the need to force things or get out of the offense, which is something that gets overlooked among the talent and the incredible offensive efficiency.

We mentioned in the game preview UConn’s troubles shooting the ball, and that was on display again on Saturday. But the ‘Nova defense deserves credit, too. Clean looks for the Huskies were few and far between, and the Wildcats grabbed eight steals.

Also worthy of note is Villanova’s dominance on the glass. ‘Nova outrebounded the Huskies 48-32, and the ‘Cats grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. They were swarming to loose balls, and it played a major role in preventing UConn from getting anything easy and hanging around.

With Villanova’s impressive offensive efficiency, it’s easy to forget that sometimes you will need to grind games out and rely on things besides talent. Today, the Wildcats sent a reminder that they can win games with execution, effort, and toughness. It’s encouraging to see ‘Nova win going away without simply shooting the lights out. Getting a relatively easy win despite some shooting struggles is a good sign. It would be easy to write this game off as an expected mid-January win against a down opponent, but the way the win was achieved is something that can be pointed to and made an example of as the season goes on.

The win gets Villanova to 18-1, and the ‘Cats wrap up the non-conference schedule with a perfect 13-0 mark. It also gave Jay Wright his 404th win at Villanova, leaving him 10 shy of setting the school record.

The ‘Cats will get back to work on Tuesday when they host Providence.