Villanova 71, Rutgers 63: Ryan Arcidiacono, Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston scored 14 points apiece as the host Wildcats survived a dreadful stretch in the first half to knock off the Scarlet Knights.

James Bell scored all 11 of his points in the second half for Villanova (17-10, 8-6 Big East), which rallied from 12 points down after the break. Mouphtaou Yarou added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Wildcats won for the fourth time in five games.

Rutgers' Myles Mack followed up a career-best 28-point performance Saturday against DePaul with 24. Kadeem Jack added 12 for Rutgers (13-12, 4-10), which played its first game since leading scorer Eli Carter was lost for the season with a broken right fibula.

After a Hilliard jumper gave Villanova a 14-8 lead with 12:29 left in the first half, the Wildcats went the next 10:22 without a basket. They managed just three free throws in the drought, while Mack produced 14 points on his own, helping Rutgers storm to a 31-21 halftime advantage.

It took Mack just five seconds into the second half to score again but Villanova finally got hot and when Bell hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the half, the Wildcats led 50-47. Arcidiacono and Bell hit consecutive 3s to give Villanova its largest lead, 65-58, with 2:52 left, and the Scarlet Knights never got closer than four down the stretch.

GAME NOTEBOOK: During their first-half drought, the Wildcats were 0-for-11 from the floor, 3-for-8 from the line and committed five turnovers. ... Mack, a 5-9 sophomore, also had a career-high eight rebounds and five assists. ... Villanova attempted 36 free throws, compared to just 15 for Rutgers.