Villanova Drops Xavier 80-68 for Second Straight Win

Villanova managed to string two wins together for the first time in more than a month, taking down the Xavier Musketeers 80-68 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, Feb. 9.

While the Musketeers played Villanova (14-10, 7-6 Big East) to a 33-33 deadlock in the first half, the Wildcats — and graduate forward Eric Dixon — caught fire in the last 20 minutes. Dixon dropped 22 of his 24 points after the break, including a run where he scored 15 straight points for the Wildcats, singlehandedly helping them turn a three point deficit into a 64-58 lead. That put Villanova ahead for good in a game that had seen 17 lead changes and nine ties.

Wooga Poplar contributed 23 points, including a trio of first half three-pointers that helped Villanova keep pace with the Musketeers until Dixon found his feet. Tyler Perkins hit 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Xavier guard Dante Maddox Jr. exploded for 24 points, both players stepping into key roles off the bench.

The Wildcats pulled ahead 43-37 out of the break, embarking on a miniature run with help from a pair of Poplar threes. Xavier immediately closed the gap with a 7-0 span of their own, then Perkins drilled a three to put Villanova back in front. The Musketeers then went on an 8-0 run — a point at which things could’ve quickly spiraled out of control for the Wildcats — before another Perkins triple stopped the bleeding, setting up Dixon’s dominant run.

Villanova went a perfect 10-for-10 on free throws on the day, helping them close the Musketeers out and preventing any chance at another comeback.

Up next for the Wildcats is a home date with N0. 12 ranked St. John’s, set to tip off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12.