January 16, 1999

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Howard Brown scored 19 points as Villanova, which scored the first 18 points of the game, defeated Notre Dame 85-58 in a Big East game Saturday.

John Celestand had 16 points for the Wildcats (13-5, 4-4), who defeated Notre Dame by a 93-62 score on Jan. 7. Malik Allen had 14 points and a career-high eight blocked shots for Villanova.

Harold Swanagan had a season-high 22 points for the Irish (9-9, 3-4), who played without leading scorer Troy Murphy, who was sidelined with an ankle injury.

Villanova hit on eight of its first 12 shots, while Notre Dame missed its first eight shots and had five turnovers. The Irish did not make a field goal until Phil Hickey’s layup with 13:05 left in the first half. Notre Dame closed to within 21-11, but the Wildcats answered with a 14-3 spurt and held a 43-27 edgeat halftime.

A 22-7 run at the start of the second half capped by a 3-point shot by Brian Lynch, gave Villanova a 65-34 advantage, and the lead reached 79-47 with four minutes to play.

The victory gave Villanova an 11-10 edge in the all-time series.