Villanova vs. Northwood, exhibition final score: Wildcats cruise to easy 93-50 win

It was a great moment for Rollie Massimino before the game. Each member walked down the student section steps and met a current Wildcat at the center "V" to receive their own framed jersey. Once Daniel Ochefu won the opening tip-off, however, the fun for Rollie came to an immediate halt. The 'Cats ended up handling the Northwood Seahawks 93-50.

The Villanova Wildcats started the game on a 9-1 run, with the 1 point coming on a technical foul for Villanova fans throwing streamers onto the court after the first basket (as initially planned). At the first TV timeout Darrun Hilliard had 7 of the team's 16 points on 3-4 shooting. Ryan Arcidiacono had 5, ending the night with 11 and 4 assists. Northwood hadn't made a field goal up to that point. The `Cats had 5 steals in the first 4+ minutes, having them jump to the quick 13-point lead.

The sloppiness ensued for the Seahawks. Fred Mattison had back-to-back field goals to get them going, but jumpers by Kris Jenkins, Ennis and Josh Hart kept the distance. Into the third TV timeout, Northwood was kept scoreless. The `Cats totaled 9 steals up to that point.

The Wildcats held a 20-point lead throughout most of the first half. Phil Booth was impressive in his first game, bringing up the ball and being unselfish on most possessions. When the Bench Mob was on the court for the last few minutes with Mikal Bridges, Booth was able to control the inexperienced squad.

The second half saw more of the same fast-paced play that blew the `Hawks away. Hilliard started the second half with a 3-pointer, and Arch added his own baskets. Those, along with old fashioned three-point play by JayVaughn Pinkston put Villanova up 34. `Nova went scoreless from 14:13 to 11:57, but Darryl Reynold ended that stretch with a lay up. Reynolds finished the day with 4 points and 3 rebounds, but 3 fouls. Overall he looked confident in his little time on the court. Northwood had went scoreless from 17:07 to 10:26.

At the 4:04 mark, Pat Farrell checked in for Reynolds. The five on the court for the final buzzer were Booth, Bridges, Henry Lowe, Farrell, and Kevin Rafferty.

Getting the start tonight was Dylan Ennis who finished the night with 12 points on 5-8 shooting. It'll be interesting to see if he continues to get the starting nod or if someone like Hart takes over. Ennis looked fresh in the season's opener, actually passing up the three pointer for a drive to the basket. If he gets hot from beyond the arc, he can use the pump fake and drive to his advantage.

Villanova has one more exhibition match on Sunday November 9th against the Nyack Warriors. The game is at Wells Fargo Center at noon.

Villanova Final Box Score