Villanova Survives Seton Hall as Eric Dixon Wills Them to Win

Villanova powered past Seton Hall 59-54 on Wednesday, Feb. 26, avoiding a catastrophic upset thanks to a 32 point outburst from star forward Eric Dixon, including 25 in the second half to help the Wildcats complete a double digit comeback.

Dixon also pulled down ten rebounds for a double-double, as did shooting guard Wooga Poplar, who put up 12 points and 12 boards.

Dylan Addae-Wusu led the Pirates with 18 points, all but two of them in the first half.

Villanova (17-12, 10-8 Big East) led 10-9 at the under 16 media timeout before Seton Hall reeled off a 10-3 run as Addae-Wusu began to catch fire. The Wildcats closed the deficit to one point with a Dixon layup with 9:01 to play until the half, then didn’t make another shot from the field on their way into the break. Final minute free throws from Dixon and Jordan Longino prevented them from being shut out entirely during the span, and Seton Hall led 33-21 at the buzzer.

The Pirates’ success continued on the other side of the half with Prince Aligbe pushing the lead to 16 after a three-pointer and a later free throw. Garwey Dual gave Seton Hall a 41-28 lead at the under 16 media timeout, then Villanova roared back into the game with a 17-0 run that included 12 straight from Dixon, putting the Wildcats back in front with an emphatic triple.

Villanova never trailed again: while Seton Hall closed within a point with less than two minutes to play, the Wildcats made their free throws to close the Pirates out.

Up next, Villanova will play in their home finale, hosting the Butler Bulldogs at noon on Saturday, March 1.