WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Corey Fisher had 20 points and Corey Stokes added 19 to lead No. 8 Villanova to a 76-36 victory over Monmouth in front of 3,896 fans on Wednesday night.
In a rematch of a 2006 NCAA tournament first-round game — one the Wildcats struggled to win, 58-45 — Villanova (10-1) left no doubts this time around, treating the sellout crowd — including many who made the 90-mile drive from the Big East school's campus — to a fair share of power and precision befitting of a Top Ten team.
After trailing 2-0, the Wildcats took over. They held a 44-17 halftime lead en route to their fifth consecutive victory.
Phil Wait had eight points for the Hawks (4-8), who lost their third straight and completed a rare two-game swing vs. Big East teams. Monmouth, a Northeast Conference program which opened its Multipurpose Activities Center last season and has had little trouble attracting major conference opponents ever since, dropped a 79-56 decision to Rutgers on Saturday night.
Villanova was unselfish most of the night, and the margin allowed coach Jay Wright to empty his bench early in the second half. The Wildcats held a 46-36 edge in rebounding, a 16-8 edge in assists and had four players in double figures, including Mouphtaou Yarou (14), and Maalik Wayns (11).
Wright was so comfortable in the second half, he let reserve guard Dallas Ouano, a local player from nearby Holmdel, finish the game. Ouano had played just four minutes all season. Against Monmouth, he played five.
It was a different story in 2006 at what was then called the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Monmouth, a No. 16 seed who needed a win over Hampton in the opening round just to get to the first round, made the Wildcats work. Villanova led by 11 at halftime, but by just seven with six minutes left, before eventually pulling away.
The Wildcats will face their biggest Big Five rival, Temple, on Dec. 30. Villanova has already disposed of Saint Joseph's, Penn and La Salle, and a win over the Owls would give them a clean sweep in their annual city series.
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