Villanova did that for much of the afternoon against a typically explosive offensive Irish team that was atypically shaky. But the Wildcats lost a step in the final minutes and yesterday dropped a Big East road game, 66-63.

"They made big plays," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "That's what road games in the Big East come down to. . . . We didn't get the big stop, and we didn't convert on the offensive end."

After scoring only 21 first-half points, Notre Dame (17-4 overall, 5-3 conference) found its shot again and scored 45 second-half points to chew away a seven-point lead by Villanova (14-6, 3-4). The Irish extended their home win streak to 17, dating to last season.

Even after the Irish took a 66-60 lead with 38 seconds remaining, the Wildcats had more than one opportunity to send the game into overtime.

Trailing by a three-pointer with four seconds left, the Wildcats had a three-point play from the baseline and one from the sideline, Wright said. They got the ball out of bounds in the corner, and they improvised.

Curtis Sumpter's open-look shot missed, and Notre Dame secured the rebound.

Five seconds earlier, Wildcats freshman Reggie Redding also missed a long three-point shot.

"I felt like I had a good shot," Sumpter said. "I was open, and I just wanted to take it."

The injured senior forward played far more minutes than the Wildcats had intended after Villanova fell into foul trouble at the start of the second half.

Sumpter suffered a deep bone bruise on his left shin during a home win on Jan. 17 against Notre Dame. He sat out against Texas and played only 16 minutes against Providence.

Sumpter played only 10 minutes yesterday in the first half but played all but four minutes after halftime.

"I felt like I could run better and jump higher than [the last game]," said Sumpter, who finished with 10 rebounds and 11 points. He was 3 for 13 from the floor.

The Wildcats picked up five fouls in the first two minutes of the second half, including a technical on Wright.

Dante Cunningham earned his fourth foul after three consecutive calls against him in the first minute and a half and played only eight minutes after the break.

Shane Clark, who played only seven minutes in the second half, and Mike Nardi eventually fouled out.

Villanova, which led 25-21 at halftime, was suddenly down by four points after an 8-0 run by the Irish to start the second half.

While Villanova contained Russell Carter and Rob Kurz - both of whom are from the Philadelphia region - senior guard Colin Falls scored a game-high 23 points.

The Wildcats made significant errors down the stretch, despite improving from shooting 27.3 percent in the first half to 40.7 percent in the second.

After leading, 55-48, with 7:12 to play, the Wildcats watched the Irish go on a 9-0 run to take a 57-54 lead.

Notre Dame converted a turnover by freshman Scottie Reynolds - just his second of the game – into a fast break layup by Falls for a 64-60 lead.

The Wildcats made just 3 of 7 free throws in the final minute and were 17 of 24 overall.

Reynolds was again the Wildcats' highlight, leading Villanova in scoring for the fourth straight game. He scored 19 points with eight assists and three steals.