UNIONDALE, N.Y. _ Jay Wright went 0-2 against Villanova when he was the Hofstra coach, a job he held for seven seasons until taking over the Wildcats in 2001.
Wright has had more success coaching the team playing against the Pride on Friday night.
In their first matchup against Hofstra since Wright's days on Long Island in December 1997, the top-ranked Wildcats shot 51 percent from the floor and made eight 3-point baskets in the first half, finished the game with 16 3s, and cruised to a 95-71 victory at the Nassau Coliseum.
Villanova (12-0), which begins Big East play Wednesday at DePaul, placed five players in double figures, led by Mikal Bridges with 20 points and Omari Spellman with 19 and 10 rebounds. Phil Booth added 17 points while Donte DiVincenzo had 16 points and Jalen Brunson contributed 14 points and seven assists.
The Wildcats shot 47.9 percent from the field and hit the 16 3-point baskets in 30 attempts for 47.1 percent. They turned the ball over just seven times and forced 15 turnovers.
The Pride (7-5), coached by former La Salle player and assistant coach Joe Mihalich, were led by Justin Wright-Foreman with 25, just above his 23.0-point average entering the game.
Villanova trailed through most of the first five minutes of the game but took the lead for good after DiVincenzo followed up a missed 3-pointer with a made 3 at the 14-minute, 48-second mark. The Pride stayed close for a little while longer, trailing 17-15, before the Wildcats turned their game into high gear, especially at the defensive end.
Over the next 10 minutes, Villanova limited the Pride to 2 of 10 shooting with seven turnovers and outscored its opponent 27-8 in taking a 44-23 lead. Spellman led the sustained run during that time and finished the first half with 14 points and eight rebounds.
DiVincenzo knocked down a 3-pointer and converted Brunson's pass for a layup that gave the Cats their 44-23 advantage with 2:46 left in the half. Hofstra then converted a layup or a dunk on each of its next four possessions to chip the gap down to 15.
But Booth drained a pair of 3-point baskets in the final 11 seconds. After his initial 3, the Pride threw the ball away and gave Villanova 1.2 seconds to add to its lead. DiVincenzo hit Booth with a perfect inbounds pass and Booth swished a 25-footer at the buzzer to restore his team's 21-point margin.
The Pride shot better in the second half, converting 53.3 percent from the floor, but never got closer than 18 points. The Wildcats shot 8 of 16 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. Villanova led by as many as 28 points late in the half.
