Villanova pounds Lafayette, 86-41

In a nod to its rich basketball tradition, Villanova honored Fran O'Hanlon by presenting the former standout Wildcats guard and current Lafayette coach with his No. 22 jersey moments before tip-off Saturday night at the Pavilion.

O'Hanlon, Class of '70, received a warm greeting from the crowd and congratulations from seven of his former teammates; his former coach, Jack Kraft; and Villanova coach Jay Wright, who came up with the gesture.

But that's where the hospitality ended.

The No. 6 Wildcats then proceeded to smother O'Hanlon's overmatched Leopards, 86-41, for their fourth straight win and third in five days. It was 'Nova's biggest margin of victory since a 108-61 blasting of Rider on Dec. 20, 2006, and it was their 41st in a row on its home floor.

"I'd rather come back here as just a fan of the Wildcats, and I am a huge fan of the Wildcats," said O'Hanlon, who holds the school's single-game assist record with 16.

Six Wildcats reached double figures, with senior Corey Stokes leading the way with 19 points. Villanova's strangling defense held Lafayette (1-3) to 25.4 percent shooting, including 4 for 28 from three-point distance.

"That was a great defensive effort," said Wright, whose team made the most of what amounted to a tune-up for Wednesday's game against UCLA at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals. "They're not an easy team to guard. They run great stuff and Fran O'Hanlon does a great job with them. Three games in five days. . . . I was proud of our effort."

The lopsided game offered Wright the opportunity to use various combinations. During one second-half stretch, Wright had Stokes running the team from the point instead of his lightning-quick backcourt tandem of Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns.

At 6-foot-5, Stokes was the smallest Wildcat on the floor. The other guard was 6-6 Dominic Cheek, and the frontcourt consisted of 6-11 Maurice Sutton, 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou, and 6-7 Isaiah Armwood. That's when matters just got worse for Lafayette as the Wildcats closed off the basket with their size and turned a 28-point lead into a 45-point victory, which was not Wright's intention.