UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The No. 12 Villanova Wildcats (3-1 overall) got a huge boost from their reserves on Tuesday to boost them to an 87-53 victory over Hartford (0-2) at Mohegan Sun Arena.
 
Redshirt freshman Eric Dixon posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Juniors Brandon Slater and Cole Swider each added 13 points each as the Wildcats bench outscored the Hawks 40-12.
 
"I'm proud of our leaders, Collin, Jermaine and Jeremiah," stated head coach Jay Wright. "After you have a tough loss like we did the other night, those guys just came in here focused on defending and rebounding. That really gave the other guys the space to do what they did.
 
"Eric, Cole and Brandon were terrific. I have an implicit trust in our veterans and I relied on them too much against Virginia Tech and we got worn down. Our bench was really impactful tonight."
 
Three pointers by Caleb Daniels and Justin Moore helped Villanova grab a 6-0 lead in the game's opening two minutes. After a pair of free throws got the Hawks on the board, a 3-ball by Cole Swider extended the early lead to 9-2. The only negative in the first 4:02 were two early fouls on Daniels, which forced him to the bench. He would not return in the first half.
 
Hartford closed the gap to 11-8 as the Wildcats endured a 1-of-8 stretch from the field. But seven quick points from redshirt freshman Eric Dixon in just over four minutes helped Villanova extend its advantage to 16-8 with 11:05 on the clock.
 
Moore's offense fueled another run midway through the period as the sophomore scored in a variety of manners to help the Wildcats stretch their advantage to 31-17. Villanova also got a lift from junior reserve Brandon Slater who added five points in the period.
 
At halftime, Villanova held a 43-24 lead. Moore led all scorers with 13 points and the Wildcats benefitted from 18 bench points, including the seven from Dixon, six from Swider and five from Slater.
 
The Wildcats limited Hartford to 9-of-22 shooting from the floor (.409) while converting 16-of-31 of their own (.516).
 
A 3-pointer by Jermaine Samuels gave Villanova a 46-24 in the opening minute of the second half but Hartford answered with a 6-0 spurt keyed by Philadelphia native Traci Carter, playing against the Wildcats for the third time in his career after earlier stops at Marquette and La Salle.
 
But a 13-1 spurt put the margin out of reach as Villanova again received vital contributions from Swider, Dixon and Slater as part of a 36-point explosion from the reserves. Villanova's lead was 79-47 with 3:27 to play in the contest.
 
The final count was 87-53 as Villanova converted 15-of-37 from beyond the 3-point arc (.405).