PHILADELPHIA -- Eric Paschall scored 15 points and Jalen Brunson had 14 to lead No. 6 Villanova to a 75-60 victory over Columbia on Friday night.
Villanova, the 2016 national champions, won their 15th straight season opener and pulled away in the second half in the first game of their home arena for the season, the Wells Fargo Center.
Mike Smith scored 19 points for Columbia. The Lions, out of the Ivy League, hung around in the first half as they chased their second win over Villanova in five years.
Paschall and Brunson had the best efforts from the field of what was an otherwise mediocre shooting night for the Wildcats.