Final Score: Villanova 91, NJIT 54
 
A Good Start: NJIT sank its first three attempts from beyond the 3-point arc to grab an 11-6 lead after 4:24. A short while later redshirt junior forward Nnanna Njoku entered the fray and his energy helped spark a 9-0 run that helped lift the Wildcats into a 15-13 lead at the 11:40 mark of the first half.
 
That run expanded to 17-2 by the time Enoch Boakye slammed home an offensive rebound at the 8:08 mark of the first half. The burst was fueled largely by defense as the Wildcats forced NJIT to commit five turnovers in the stretch.
 
"We played extremely hard from the opening tip to the last buzzer," said head coach Kyle Neptune. "We were locked in with our attention to detail and knowing personnel. We gave great energy from beginning to end."
 
Bench Boost: A pair of Wildcat reserves, guards Kris Parker and Tyler Perkins, gave the Wildcats an offensive lift midway through the first half. Each contributed six points, with nine of those 12 points coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
The Wildcats took a 41-25 lead into the locker room at halftime with Eric Dixon setting the scoring pace with 11 points. More important was Villanova's work at the defensive end of the court, where they limited the Highlanders to 10-of-28 shooting over the first 20 minutes (.361).
 
By night's end the Wildcats' reserves would outscore the Highlanders 29-12 as Perkins (12 points) and Parker (11 points) combined for 23 of that total.
 
Njoku's contribution was consequential too. The redshirt junior logged 14:01, collecting six rebounds to go with two points, two assists and two blocked shots.
 
Burst to Start Period Two: The Wildcats got 3-pointers from Jordan Longino and Jhamir Brickus off quality ball movement as part of a 12-4 surge over the first 3:21 of the second half. It gave them a 53-29 lead at that juncture.
 
The margin never dipped below 20 the rest of the night
 
Paint Power: The 1-2 punch of Eric Dixon (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Enoch Boakye (12 points and four caroms) helped fuel a 36-18 Villanova edge on points in the paint.
 
The Wildcats also got dividends from ball pressure and a ¾ court trap. It helped to ignite a 21-0 advantage in points scored off turnovers.
 
What They Said:
Head Coach Kyle Neptune: "I thought we had a great mindset approach into this game. We were determined to play hard for 40 minutes together. If we did that we could look each other in the eye at the end of the day."
 
Neptune on the play of young players like Perkins, Parker and Josiah Moseley: "We've got young guys that are extremely athletic, have great size and basketball IQ. Those guys are pretty much carbon copies of one another. When they're locked in like that defensively it brings a different dynamic to our team."
 
Jhamir Brickus: "Today's game felt great. We all went out there and played our heats out. We played for one another. Once you do that, you're likely to come out with a win."
 
Up Next: Villanova meets Saint Joseph's Tuesday at 5 p.m. in its first of three Philadelphia Big Five battles. CBS Sports Network will carry the game.