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VILLANOVA, Pa. -- One game after turning in their weakest 3-point shooting effort of the 2015-16 season, the Villanova Wildcats produced their best effort Sunday that helped fuel an 76-47 victory over La Salle (4-4 overall, 0-2 Philadelphia Big Five) in a City Series clash played at the Pavilion.

In a 78-55 loss to No. 7 Oklahoma Monday in Hawaii, the Wildcats were just 4-of-32 from long distance (.125). Against the Explorers, they were 13-of-28 for a season high .464 from beyond the 3-point arc.

But those numbers only tell a part of the story.

"It was really really attention to detail and the little things," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "I know everybody sees 4-for-32 but that was the least of it. It was really all of the other little things that we didn't do to make up for the 4-for-32. Maybe we don't win that game, but we're in it until the end if we do the little things. I think our guys learned a lesson from that."

Indeed, the glowing shooting was the result of smooth passing that helped create open looks. Villanova recorded a season-high 24 assists on 28 made field goals on the day. At one point in the second half VU was credited with 18 assists on 19 made baskets. It all added up to a 28-of-51 (.549) workday from the floor for the Wildcats.

"When you have a team that is talented, aggressive, and as unselfish as they are, you just have so many options," noted La Salle coach John Giannini.

Junior Josh Hart led Villanova with 18 points and six rebounds, including 13 in the first half as the Wildcats built their margin. Senior Ryan Arcidiacono was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field to finish with 14 points, seven assists, and just two turnovers.

Several of the younger Wildcats made key contributions as well. Freshman Jalen Brunson added 13 points and four assists; redshirt freshman Mikal Bridges chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots; and in his first collegiate start in place of Kris Jenkins, sophomore Phil Booth added 10 points to go with five assists and a pair of steals.

Defense played a major role in the win too. Villanova limited the Explorers to 47 points on 17-of-52 shooting from the field (.327). Standout guard Jordan Price was kept in check, finishing with 16 points but on 17 field goal attempts. Booth and Hart did some of the heavy lifting at the defensive end on the La Salle star.

"It wasn't anything specific we did to contain him," stated Hart of his defensive work. "We just played Villanova defense. I knew that if he got by me, my teammates had my back."

Arcidiacono got the Wildcats off on the right foot when he drew a shooting foul on the Explorers six seconds into the game. He subsequently sank both free throws before the Explorers picked up a triple of their own from Johnnie Schuler to grab a 3-2 edge in the first minute.

But Villanova slowly constructed a working margin as the period moved along thanks to the scoring of Hart, who would contribute 13 points over the game's first 20 minutes. The Wildcats turned what was a 16-12 advantage into a 38-23 halftime margin due in large part to stingy defense that limited La Salle to 8-of-25 shooting from the field in the period (.320).

The Wildcats got consecutive 3-pointers from Hart and Brunson on the first two offensive possessions after intermission to open up a 44-23 lead with 18:32 left and were on their way to their 12th consecutive Philadelphia Big Five win and third straight over the Explorers.

Exam week resumes for the entire Villanova student body on Monday. The Wildcats' next action comes on Saturday when they visit the University of Virginia for a noon tipoff (ESPN2 and 610 Sports Radio WTEL).

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