VILLANOVA, Pa. - Sophomore Ed Croswell recorded his third double-double of the young season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but No. 22 Villanova (5-3) defeated the La Salle men's basketball team (4-3), 83-72, in Philadelphia Big 5 action on Sunday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead following a three from senior Saul Phiri and a putback layup from Croswell less than two minutes in.
• Consecutive triples by sophomore David Beatty pushed La Salle in front by a 13-7 margin before the Wildcats made a game-changing run.
• Villanova scored 17 of the next 18 points to take a 10-point lead, with freshman Justin Moore accounting for seven in the spurt.
• The margin grew to 20 at halftime before the Explorers came out in the second half with grit and toughness, slowly chipping away at the deficit.
• A layup by freshman Christian Ray began a run of 10 consecutive points for the Explorers, a run that was capped by an emphatic fast-break dunk by Beatty.
• After a timeout, Moore connected on a three-pointer for Villanova that swung momentum back in its favor as the nationally-ranked Wildcats grew the advantage back to 18.
• The Explorers continued to battle back, with two free throws from Croswell putting the score at 70-60 with 2:56 on the clock.
• La Salle would get as close as nine in the late moments of the game but ran out of time in defeat.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Beatty closed with 12 points and connected on a trio of three-pointers in 33 minutes of action.
• Phiri had nine points (3-6 from three), four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots in an all-around effort.
• La Salle forced Villanova into 20 turnovers but committed 18 on the other end of the floor that led to 21 points for the Wildcats.
• Moore had a game-high 25 points off the bench for the Wildcats.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will battle another Philadelphia rival on Saturday, Dec. 7, when it takes the short trip to the Daskalakis Center to tangle with Drexel.
• The game will air live on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, beginning at 2:00 p.m.