The early-season, non-conference portion of the schedule gives teams a chance to look at the depth and figure out what rotations work best together.
Villanova did that on Saturday night as the bench got in on the action early and often, showing off that depth in a big way.
The Wildcats had 10 different players score, with five finishing in double-figures, during a 99-62 win over Rider at Finneran Pavilion.
Villanova (3-1) took its first double-digit lead of the game at 18-8 on a Jake Fiegen three-pointer.
Rider (1-4) got within six on multiple occasions in the first half but the Wildcats did not let them back in the game and extended at the end of the second half.
Villanova led 42-23 at halftime and extended further in the second half. This is when the depth came into play.
Devin Royal led the team with 21 points on 8-for-15 from the field while displaying his ability to score in multiple ways. As Luigi Suigo sat with a sore right knee, Kwame Evans Jr. took over down low and logged a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Fiegen was the spark early from deep, finishing with 17 points and 4-for-8 from three-point range.
Darryl Simmons II played just six minutes before leaving with an injury. This gave Carter Fisk a chance to play late. Adam Oumiddoch continued to be effective off the bench with 12 points in 18 minutes.
Elijah Crawford struggled from the field (1-for-8) but filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds and six assists.
Villanova will be back in action on Tuesday night against Pitt.
