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VILLANOVA, Pa. – La Salle opened its Big 5 slate on Sunday afternoon, falling 73-52 to #10/14 Villanova at The Pavilion. The Explorers hung with the 10th ranked Wildcats through the first twenty minutes, trailing by four, 38-34, at the intermission. However, the Wildcats locked down the interior in the second half, while their offense shot nearly 60%, to coast to the 21-point victory and a 3-0 start to the Big 5 slate for the first time since 2010.

Junior Jerrell Wright led the Blue & Gold with 20 points (7-of-10 FG; 6-of-9 FT) and seven rebounds. 

Darrun Hilliard paced the Wildcats, leading all players with 21 points.
 
As has been the trend in the Wildcats first two Big 5 contests, they dominated the second half. Villanova shot 13-of-22 from the field in the second session, while they held the Explorers to just 6-of-21 from the field after the break. They also forced ten Explorer turnovers in the second half, which led to several fast break points. The Wildcats outscored the Explorers 35-18.
 
"They're an infinitely better basketball team than they were eight months ago," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "They were pretty good eight months ago, but each player on their team is just better."
 
The Explorers made a concerted effort to push the ball down low to begin the game. The Blue & Gold guards repeatedly slashed inside, dishing to Wright who made no mistakes with the finish. He netted the Explorers first eight points, including a thunderous dunk to stake La Salle to the early 8-5 lead.
 
"Jerrell was terrific," Giannini said.
 
Villanova began to ratchet up the defense through the middle stretches of the first half, changing to a three-quarter court press, stifling the Explorers dynamic guards. The Wildcats strung together a 17-7 run to snatch a 27-19 lead with a little under seven minutes remaining in the half. It looked as though the Wildcats might runaway with this one in the opening half when Hilliard knocked down three consecutive free throws to stretch the lead to ten.
 
Wright willed the Explorers back into the game, sparking a 6-0 run in the half's final 1:14 to cut the deficit to four at 38-34 as the teams entered the intermission. He nailed a contested layup and tacked on two free throws with 0:04 seconds remaining to silence the raucous Pavilion crowd and give the Explorers hope of springing the upset. Wright finished the half with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
 
Unfortunately for the Explorers, Villanova made adjustments to shutdown Wright in the second stanza.
 
"In the first they were really good," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "Their guards were creating separation, creating mismatches for Jerrell Wright and he really took advantage."
 
Villanova jumped on top of the Explorers early in the second half, knocking down the first three buckets to create a ten-point advantage. Overall, the Wildcats went on a 19-5 run in the first eight minutes to create an 18-point spread at 57-38, sealing the Villanova victory. The Wildcats held Jerrell Wright to only two points in the second stanza.
 
"It was a lot harder to get him the ball in the second half," Giannini said. "The guy had 18 points on you at halftime, I'd say lets not let him have another 18. I think they focused on it and made it a point, we had other guys open for shots, but they just didn't make them."
 
The Explorers (5-5) will return to action Thursday, December 19 as they return home for a 7:00 pm matchup against Wagner at Tom Gola Arena.