VILLANOVA, PA. ? In its second round game of the 2008 Philly Hoop Group Classic, Monmouth fell to No. 20 Villanova, 71-48, at the Pavilion. With the defeat, the Hawks fall to 0-5 on the year, and to 0-16 all-time versus nationally-ranked opponents. The Wildcats, 4-0 overall, are 4-0 at home on the season.

Monmouth, which outscored Villanova 35-26 in the second half, hit six second-half three-pointers to pull within 22 points with 4:20 left.

Mike Myers Keitt's three-pointer opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the game, and the Hawks held a 5-3 edge at 18:01, when Yaniv Simpson connected on a curl jumpshot along the baseline.

Corey Stokes' second trifecta to open the scoring for the Wildcats, gave Villanova a 6-5 lead with 17:41 remaining, before James Hett's back-door layup pulled the Hawks within 11-7 with 15:40 showing.

The Wildcats then unleashed a 16-2 run over the next 7:56 to grab a 27-9 lead with 7:44 remaining in the half. Villanova extended its lead to 35-11 with 3:40 left, when Stokes drained a baseline jumper.

Monmouth, which managed two R.J. Rutledge free throws and a Kevin Schafer drive in the final 6:29 of the half, succumbed to an 18-4 Villanova spurt over that span. The Wildcats claimed a 45-13 lead at the break, holding the Hawks to their lowest first-half offensive output of the season.

Villanova dropped in the first five points out of intermission to coral a 50-13 advantage at 18:40, before the Hawks, highlighted by consecutive Simpson treys, made the score 50-21 with 16:19 showing.

Monmouth, which equaled its first half output in the opening 5:30 the second stanza, trailed 56-29, when Simpson drained a wing three-pointer.

Sparked by two Alex Nunner three-pointers, Monmouth rattled of a 10-2 run over a 3:07 span, to make the score 62-39 with 6:13 showing, before Will Campbell's two free throws pulled the Hawks within 67-45 at the 4:20 mark.

Simpson, who was 3-for-5 from three-point range in the second half, led the Hawks with 11 points, while Myers Keitt added nine. Rutledge collected five points, five rebounds and five assists, while Nunner added six points for the Blue and White, who were outrebounded 41-23.

The Hawks, who held Villanova to a season-low 71 points, hit just 34.1% from the field, while the Wildcats hit 44.1%, including eight trifectas. Stokes, who went 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, collected 18 points, while Dante Cunningham led all scorers with 19.