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VILLANOVA, Pa. - A season high 15 3-point field goals helped lift No. 5/5 Villanova to an 88-75 victory over Xavier in a BIG EAST clash Wednesday evening at the Pavilion. The Wildcats are now 16-1 overall, 4-1 BIG EAST while the Musketeers fall to 11-6 overall, 2-3 in conference action.

Junior Ryan Arcidiacono led the Wildcats with 18 points while classmate Dylan Ennis added 17 points and sophomore Josh Hart contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.

Matt Stainbrook led Xavier with 17 points while Jalen Reynolds and J.P. Macura each chipped in with 14 points.

The Wildcats built a lead that grew to 23 points early in the second half before the Musketeers used a potent offense to cut the gap to 10 points with 7:03 left in the second half. Villanova held off the Musketeers' charge to record the win by converting free throws - they finished 17-of-19 at the line after their poorest effort of the season Saturday against DePaul (8-of-18).

"Hitting the threes the way we did in the first half was big," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We kind of hung on in the second half. I thought they might have outplayed us in the second half. That's a good team, they're well-coached, (Xavier) is not going to go away. We have to be a little bit better at finishing, but overall it was a good effort."

Just as they had in Saturday's 81-64 victory over DePaul, Villanova was able to jump out to an early lead with precise ball movement and shot making. Senior Darrun Hilliard scored the game's first five points and 3-pointers from Arcidiacono, Ennis and Hart helped the `Cats craft a 14-2 lead 4:03 into the contest.

The Wildcats would drain five more 3-pointers over the course of the first period and it helped offset the damage done by Stainbrook and Jalen Reynolds inside for Xavier. By the time the night was over, the duo had combined to connect on 14-of-18 field goal attempts to help the Musketeers earn a 46-18 edge on points scored in the paint.

Villanova was also able to create offense by forcing eight Xavier turnovers in the first 20 minutes and that helped the Wildcats grab a 45-27 lead at intermission. It was the second straight 45 point effort in the first half for VU and the Wildcats were 9-of-18 from beyond the arc in the period.

"That surprised me," Wright said of his squad, which finished 15-of-34 from distance. "We had great ball movement. Guys really made the extra pass and guys were stepping into shots with great timing. It's something we work on. It's probably the best we've done that."

Yet there were a few uncomfortable moments in the second half for the Wildcats as Xavier connected on .529 of its attempts in the period, including five 3-pointers, while amassing 48 points.

"Having older guys like our two seniors and our three juniors really helps," Wright stated of the Wildcats' composure as the Xavier began chipping into its margin. "A younger team will relax a little bit. I think we're pretty good at it (playing with leads) but we can get a little bit better."

Villanova cooled off from long range in the second half and attempted to feed the ball to its interior tandem of senior JayVaughn Pinkston (12 points, three rebounds) and Daniel Ochefu (six points, six rebounds) without much success.

"We tried, but couldn't get it in there," said Wright. "Xavier did a great job of taking that away from us."

The Wildcats finished with 24 assists on 28 field goals while committing only five turnovers. That efficiency, combined with those 15 made 3-pointers, proved to be the difference for Villanova.

Villanova will pack its gear for a pair of road outings up next. The Wildcats complete the Philadelphia Big Five portion of their campaign on Saturday night at Penn (7 p.m./Ivy League Digital Network). Then VU returns to BIG EAST action on Jan. 19 at Georgetown (Fox Sports 1).

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