Strong games from Jerrell Williams (20 points) and Sam Mills (4-5 from beyond the arc) were not enough to derail the Villanova Wildcats as they dispatched the La Salle Explorers late and pulled away 84-81. Villanova found itself trailing by as many as 9 points late in the 2nd half before a late surge powered them ahead.
Corey Stokes (16 points), Maalik Wayns (19 points) and Dominic Cheek (14 points) were instrumental down the stretch as all 3 were in double-figures in scoring. Cheek and Stokes both hit 4 3-pointers on the day and some key ones late on. As a team, Villanova had 5 players in double-digits in terms of scoring.
Corey Fisher continued to struggle from the field (3-11) but he made up for it at the line by going 9-12 including 3-4 down the stretch to seal the win. He also had 8 assists in a proper return to form.
The Villanova big men, primarily Antonio Pena, Mouphtaou Yarou and Maurice Sutton, did a phenomenal job shutting down Aaric Murray, holding him to just 4 points on 4 FG attempts.
Villanova returns on the 18th when they will host the Delaware Blue Hens at The Wells Fargo Center.