Taking complete control of the game from the opening tip, No. 16 Villanova dominated Pennsylvania in front of its home crowd to the tune of a 77-57 victory, giving the Wildcats some momentum before the start of Big East play.

Villanova started the game on a 14-0 run, then responded to a Penn 3-pointer with a 16-0 spurt that gave the Wildcats a 30-3 lead just 14 minutes into the game.

Senior center Daniel Ochefu got things started with nine of the team's first 11 points, then hit guard Ryan Arcidiacono for two nifty layups during the opening run.

Ochefu would go on to be one of four Wildcats in double figures, finishing with 12 points. Freshman guard Jalen Brunson led the way with 22.

Villanova has been known to live or die by the 3 in recent seasons, but opened up its resounding 39-11 halftime lead without knocking down a single shot from beyond the arc.

Penn (5-7) was led in the scoring by freshman Jackson Donahue, who posted a career-high 18 points, including five 3-pointers.

Up next for the Wildcats (10-2) is their Big East opener at home against sixth-ranked Xavier, which will enter the game undefeated after the first 12 games of the season.