Abrams, who had 18 points in the second half, and James, the Longhorns' two leading scorers, combined to score 16 straight points for Texas (7-1) when it pulled away to a double-digit lead late in the second half.
Villanova (8-1) had pulled to 41-38 with 10:54 to play on a layup by Dante Cunningham, who led the Wildcats with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
