Villanova didn’t waste time putting the Notre Dame loss behind it.
Back at home Friday, the Wildcats controlled Holy Cross from the opening stretch and cruised to a 95-66 win, getting 22 points from Devin Royal and a huge all-around night from Luigi Suigo. Suigo finished with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting, plus 15 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals as Villanova improved to 1-1.
Jake Fiegen gave the offense another sharp edge with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
Holy Cross, now 0-2, was led by Tristen Wilson’s 17 points. Chuck Hare added 10 points and nine rebounds, but the Crusaders never found a rhythm against a Villanova team that kept stretching the floor and turning stops into easy offense.
The Wildcats set the tone early. After the game was tied 7-6 about four minutes in, Villanova ripped off a 17-3 burst over the next five-plus minutes.
Suigo opened the run with the first four points, then set up Royal for a dunk. Fiegen and Adam Oumiddoch each hit a 3-pointer, and Darryl Simmons II closed the stretch with another triple to push the lead to 24-9 with 10:45 left in the half.
Holy Cross spent most of the night chasing. The visitors missed nine of their first 12 shots and shot only 33.3% in the first half, going 10-of-30 before the break. They also had trouble stringing together any kind of momentum, not making consecutive field goals until less than six minutes remained in the game.
When the Crusaders trimmed the margin to 26-15, Royal answered with a three-point play to steady Villanova again.
Suigo then finished the first half with a jumper in the final minute, sending the Wildcats to the locker room up 44-28. He had 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in the opening half and added seven rebounds before the break.
Villanova kept the pressure on after halftime. The Wildcats led by as many as 18 early in the second half before Wilson’s five points helped Holy Cross get within 48-33. Royal responded with consecutive baskets, and Fiegen followed with a 3-pointer to push the margin back over 20.
Fiegen struck again on Villanova’s next possession, making it 58-35, and then buried another 3-pointer about 90 seconds later to stretch the lead to 63-38 with 12:44 remaining. From there, the Wildcats stayed comfortably in control on their way to the lopsided finish.
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