VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - Dominic Cheek scored 27 points and Mouphtaou Yarou tallied a double-double, leading Villanova to a 106-70 rout of Monmouth (N.J.) on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
Yarou scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots for the Wildcats. Maalik Wayns also chipped in with 15 points.
Villanova led 39-30 with 3:08 left in the first half when Cheek's 3-pointer started a 16-6 run into halftime that put the Wildcats ahead comfortably the rest of the way. The Wildcats outscored the Hawks 51-34 in the second half to seal it.
The Wildcats shot 54.5 percent (36 of 66) from the floor compared to just 35.9 percent (23 of 64) for the Hawks.
Villanova was 12 of 25 on 3-pointers, including five from Cheek. Monmouth hit just 8 of 31 shots from beyond the arc.
Jesse Steele led Monmouth with 12 points.
