No. 7 Villanova scored the first seven points of the game and added three more runs in the first half before cruising to an 86-41 victory over visiting Lafayette on Saturday

Corey Stokes scored 19 points and Corey Fisher added 16 for the Wildcats, who led by as many as 47 in the second half. Stokes drained 5 of 9 shots from the arc and Fisher was 6 of 11 from the floor with five rebounds and four assists as Villanova shot 54 percent and had six players score in double figures.

After the quick start, Villanova added 10- and eight-point spurts during the first 20 minutes. But Lafayette used its own 10-2 spurt to cut the margin to 12 before Villanova closed the half on an 8-0 run ignited by a 3-pointer by Fisher for a 38-20 halftime lead.

Jared Mintz scored 12 points for Lafayette (1-3), which won the Patriot League title last season but hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent since Rutgers on Dec. 2, 1978.

Villanova will face UCLA in the NIT semifinals on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.