'Nova reaches round of 16 with 89-69 win over UCLA

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rollie Massimino sat on the edge of his seat, rooting on his former team from behind the bench.

No need to sweat this one out, Coach. The Wildcats had it all the way.

Dante Cunningham scored 18 points Saturday, helping Villanova reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in five years with an 89-69 victory over UCLA that ended the Bruins' bid for a fourth straight Final Four appearance.

Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding each had 13 points for the third-seeded Wildcats (28-7), who will play the Texas-Duke winner in the East Region semifinals in Boston.

Josh Shipp led UCLA with 18 points and Darren Collison had 15. It's the earliest exit for the sixth-seeded Bruins (26-9) since a first-round loss in the 2005 NCAA tournament.

Backed by a raucous, hometown crowd at their off-campus home, Villanova jumped on UCLA early and hardly let up. A 19-2 run that started five minutes in put the Wildcats ahead 28-11 before the midpoint of the first half.

When Corey Stokes hit a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 spurt, the building erupted. Even some Texas A&M fans stood and cheered. The Aggies played Connecticut in the second game of the doubleheader.

UCLA finally ended the run after a time-out, but Stokes hit another 3 and Redding nailed one, too. Dwayne Anderson's jam capped the run, giving Villanova a 17-point lead.

The Bruins spent the rest of the half trying unsuccessfully to cut the margin to single digits. Each time it seemed they were inching closer, Villanova answered with a big shot.

Scottie Reynolds hit a 3 for his first basket, ending a mini-run. Then, Fisher threw a perfect pass underneath to Shane Clark for an easy dunk that gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the half, 38-19.

UCLA scored the next seven points, but Reynolds answered with another 3 after two offensive rebounds following long misses by the Wildcats. That possession clearly illustrated Villanova's toughness inside. The 'Cats then smothered UCLA at the opposite end, forcing a poor shot that missed as the shot clock expired.

The combination of tight defense, physical play and excellent shooting was too much for UCLA. Villanova led 44-31 at halftime, and it turned into a rout in the second half with the Wildcats leading by 25 at one point. By then, Massimino finally leaned back in his seat, put his arm around the empty chair next to him and soaked it in.