PITTSBURGH — All eight players in Villanova’s rotation scored between seven and 16 points, and the Wildcats rolled to the second-most lopsided NCAA Tournament win in school history Thursday night, 93-52, over No. 16 Lafayette.
With Villanova’s win, No. 1 seeds improved to 121-0 in NCAA tournament history.
Dylan Ennis scored a team-high 16 points and added five assists for the Wildcats, and Daniel Ochefu contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Ryan Arcidiacono (13 points, six assists), Darrun Hilliard (12 points on 6 for 8 shooting), JayVaughn Pinkston (12 points, six rebounds) and Kris Jenkins (10 off the bench) all reached double figures.
Josh Hart had seven points, eight rebounds and four assists, and freshman Phil Booth added nine points.
Villanova shot 63 percent from the field (36 for 57), 52 percent from three (11 for 22) and committed just seven turnovers.
The win was the 16th in a row for Villanova, the top seed in the Eastern Regional and No. 2-ranked team in the country.
Villanova advanced to a Round of 32 game against the winner of the game between No. 9 seed LSU and No. 8 seed North Carolina State, scheduled for later Thursday night.
Villanova improved to 33-2 this year, the most wins ever by a Philadelphia Division I school. Villanova and the 1987 and 1988 Temple Owls won 32. Villanova is the 58th school in Division I history to win 33 or more games in a season.
Stat of the day
The 41-point margin of victory is third-largest in Villanova NCAA Tournament history. The Wildcats beat Penn by 43 in 1971 and beat Portland by 34 in 1996.
Turning point
Lafayette trimmed the Villanova lead from 21 to 14 with 2:56 left in the first half, but the Wildcats finished the half on an 11-2 run on threes by Arcidiacono and Booth, a three-point play by Ochefu and a short jumper by Jenkins.
What it means
This is the seventh time in the last 11 years Villanova has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were one-and-done in 2007, 2011 and 2013 and didn’t reach the tournament in 2012.
Villanova is now 8-1 all-time vs. Lafayette, with the only loss coming in 1922 via forfeit.
Lafayette, of Easton, Pennsylvania, finished the season 20-13. They’re 0-3 in NCAA Tournament history, losing to Syracuse in 1957, Temple in 2000 and Villanova this year.
By the numbers
Lafayette, No. 2 in NCAA Division I in three-point accuracy, was just 4 for 18 (22 percent) from deep. … From 3:29 left in the first half through 11:46 left in the second half — a span of nearly 15 minutes — Lafayette made four baskets. … Dan Trist led Lafayette with 18 points and six boards and made 8 of 13 shots. … Villanova led by as much as 45 points at 84-39 with 8:54 to go.
What's next
Villanova will be back at CONSOL Energy Center Saturday playing for a spot in the Sweet 16 against either Louisiana State or North Carolina State. Game time has not yet been announced.