PHILADELPHIA -- No. 4 Villanova won its 21st consecutive Big 5 game.

Barely.

Phil Booth and Donte DiVincenzo scored 18 points each and Villanova pulled away from gritty Big 5 rival La Salle for a 77-68 victory Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.

"A great lesson for our guys," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "The score isn't always what the game was like. The Big 5 teams play us to win."

Jalen Brunson contributed 17 points and Mikal Bridges had 10 for the Wildcats, who improved to 10-0 for the second straight season.

Villanova entered Sunday as only one of seven remaining undefeated Division I teams in the country.

"They were doing a great job with their game plan," said DiVincenzo, who added 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists. "We kind of had to gut it out and grind it out."

La Salle (5-6) was led by B.J. Johnson with 21 points. Amar Stukes added 16 and Pookie Powell had 12 for the Explorers, who dropped their second in a row. Powell missed all seven of his 3-pointers and fouled out.

"You have to play almost perfectly to beat these guys," La Salle coach John Giannini said of Villanova.

La Salle took a surprising 42-37 lead early in the second half before the Wildcats began to chip away.

Booth's driving layup gave Villanova a 52-47 advantage with 13:01 left. The momentum switched as the Explorers missed 10 of 11 shots during one stretch.

The Wildcats had a tough time pulling away in this Big 5 battle.

"They're not going to get knocked off very easily," Giannini said. "It's going to take a lot to beat them."

Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer in front of his excited bench to get the Explorers within 60-58 with 6:04 remaining. Powell then tied the game 60-60 with a difficult shot in the lane.

To the Explorers, they weren't shocked the game was close.

"Like coach said, they're (going to be) the No. 1 team in the country," Stukes said. "We tie up our shoes just like they do."

Isiah Deas gave the Explorers a short-lived 62-61 lead before the Wildcats came back with six quick points to lead 67-62 with 3:52 left. Booth hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer and DiVincenzo followed with a trey.

Bridges put the game away with a pair of baskets down the stretch for a 71-64 lead with 2:33 left.

Bridges didn't shoot as consistently well (4 of 11) as he had in the previous nine games, but he did more than enough to help propel the Wildcats to another win.

"If a bad night is 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists, that's pretty good," Wright said.

Villanova wound up shooting 27 of 35 from the free-throw line while La Salle was just 4 of 5.

La Salle's tenacious defense led to some easy baskets and it took a 34-31 advantage late in the first half on a 3-pointer by Deas.

Villanova took the lead back at 37-36 when Booth's trey dropped through with 10.4 seconds remaining.

But Stukes drove the length of the court for a layup as time expired for a 38-37 Explorers lead. Stukes and Johnson combined for 23 points.

NOTES: Villanova G Collin Gillespie missed the game with a left wrist injury. ... Villanova coach Jay Wright earned his 396th career victory at the school. ... Villanova will attempt to sweep its Big 5 portion of the schedule Wednesday at Temple for its 22nd straight win against La Salle, Temple, Penn and Saint Joseph's. ... La Salle dropped to 2-1 in the Big 5 this season with previous wins coming against Temple and Penn. ... La Salle played its first career game at the Wells Fargo Center. ... Wright improved to 15-2 all-time against the Explorers. ... La Salle's last victory over a Top 5 opponent came all the way back in 1955, a 76-73 win over Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.