VILLANOVA, Pa. – The last time Villanova started a pair of freshmen in a regular season opener, Jay Wright was in his second season as head coach. Allan Ray and Randy Foye were the newcomers back in 2002. Seventeen years later rookies Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore got the nod and helped fuel a first half burst that carried Villanova to a 97-54 victory over Army Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Ray, a 2006 All-American, had a front row seat as Robinson-Earl became the first true freshman in Wright's 19 seasons to record a triple double (24 points, 13 rebounds). Moore sank a pair of early 3-pointers and ended the evening with eight points and four assists while sophomore Saddiq Bey contributed 22 points, five rebounds and two steals in the win. Sophomore Cole Swider supplied 18 points off the Nova bench.
 
The Wildcats held Army to 20-of-64 shooting on the night (.313), including 7-of-30 (.233) from beyond the arc and controlled the glass by a 54-26 count.
 
"We knew that if we didn't come and play hard, they can run at you," stated Wright. "They're tough. When they get it going up and down, they can really wear you out. I thought we did a really good job of running with them, getting back on defense. We had our lapses and have a lot to improve on but it was a good start for us."
 
A 13-0 run sparked by a pair of Maryland natives helped ignite the Wildcats' offense. Bey of Largo, Md., had seven points and Moore of Fort Washington, Md., six more to help Villanova grab a 15-4 lead over the Black Knights at the 15:32 mark of the first period.
 
Swider entered the game and promptly gave the 'Cats another boost. The Portsmouth, R.I. native scored eight points, including a pair of deep balls, to help Villanova extend its advantage to 26-7 after 8:16 of action at the Finn.
 
Aside from the explosive offense, perhaps most impressive was the effort at the other end. Army didn't reach double figures in points until more than 14 minutes had been played and misfired on its first nine attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.  Villanova pushed its lead to 41-12 with 4:54 left on the first half clock.
 
Robinson-Earl was a presence throughout, helping VU take a 49-26 lead into the locker room at the half with 15 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Black Knights narrowed the gap to 21 points at two different points in the early minutes of the second half but Villanova had an answer each time Army gained momentum. Robinson-Earl and Bey were at the forefront with an assist from junior Collin Gillespie, who contributed all 11 of his points in the second half.
 
The final count was 97-54.
 
"I thought our guys did a good job playing their first game at home," stated Wright. "Getting Collin Gillespie back out on the floor was big for us. He missed our exhibition game and scrimmage. He didn't look great, but it was good to get him out on the floor. Our depth was pretty good tonight.
 
"We still have a lot of room for improvement. We were kind of sloppy with the ball with 17 turnovers. We'll work on that. We knew we would have things we'd have to work on after this. But this was good for us."
 
Villanova is now idle until Wednesday, Nov. 13 when it visits Ohio State as part of the Gavitt Games. Tipoff at the Schottenstein Center is set for 7 p.m. (FS1 and 610 ESPN Radio).
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.