Villanova vs. Lafayette: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Top-seeded Villanova got the message from an upset-filled Thursday in the 2015 NCAA tournament and responded accordingly. The Wildcats crushed No. 16 Lafayette, posting a comprehensive 93-52 victory for their 16th win in a row.

The Leopards' upset bid was short-lived. Villanova took the first lead nine seconds in and didn't relinquish it all game, jumping out to a more-than-20-point lead before halftime and leading by as many as 45 points in the second half.

After shooting 62.5 percent in the opening frame, the Wildcats poured it on even more as the deficit got even uglier in the second half. They finished 36-of-57 from the field (63.2 percent), while every Villanova starter finished with 12 or more points.

Lafayette didn't play poorly on 21-of-55 shooting, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome Villanova's 11-of-22 three-point shooting and balanced scoring output.

Dan Trist and Seth Hinrichs led the Leopards with 18 and 13 points, respectively, but virtually all of them were filler in a game otherwise dominated by the top seed. Lafayette couldn't overcome 15 team turnovers, and Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch caught notice of Villanova:

Lafayette seemed to have survived an early gut punch from Villanova when it trimmed the deficit to 13-8, but a dominating run followed as the Wildcats scored 26 of the next 33 points by making nine out of 10 shots during one span. The contributions came every which way, as CSN's Reuben Frank noted:

The Villanova rout was evident very early on, as LostLetterman.com noted the first-half shooting totals:

As if the Wildcats' hot shooting didn't thwart Lafayette enough, they also dominated the boards with an 18-8 rebounding advantage in the first frame. That left the Leopards shaking their heads in a clip that summarizes the game itself, as NCAA March Madness captured:

The game was practically over by the halftime whistle, but the Wildcats showed no intent in giving Lafayette any room to make a run. Villanova made its first six shots of the second half and led by 31 before missing a second-half attempt.

Not that the Leopards were waving the white flag, but the Wildcats didn't look interested in allowing Lafayette to hang around, per Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel:

The Wildcats cleaned their bench in the waning moments of the game, but it left no bearing on the final outcome as ESPN's Dana O'Neil noted:

As for a lasting impression, the Wildcats certainly made that on Thursday as CBS Sports' John Rothstein observed:

No 16th seed has ever topped a No. 1, so nobody is surprised by Villanova's win. But the dominance and comfort the Wildcats showcased in victory Thursday should bring a bit more attention to one of the top seeds least expected to make the Final Four. 

Villanova's third-round foe won't be decided until the night cap between No. 8 N.C. State and No. 9 LSU, but those who penciled in the Wildcats for an early exit might be worried after the Wildcats' all-around dominant win.