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CINCINNATI, Ohio - For the second time in as many seasons, the Villanova Wildcats (27-2 overall, 14-2 BIG EAST) put the finishing touches on an outright BIG EAST regular season championship at the Cintas Center. A 45-point second half helped lift the Wildcats past Xavier 78-66 Saturday before a sellout crowd of 10,250 here.

The victory gave Villanova back-to-back BIG EAST titles for only the second time in program history (1981-82 and 1982-83). It also marked the first time VU earned back-to-back outright titles - the '82-83 crown was shared with St. John's and Boston College.

Today's effort required resiliency, as the Wildcats trailed Xavier 40-33 at halftime before taking charge over the final 10 minutes of the contest. Junior Dylan Ennis led a balanced attack with 16 points and five assists while classmate Ryan Arcidiacono added 15 points and six assists. Sophomore Kris Jenkins came off the bench to supply 14 points and five caroms to the cause.

Jalen Reynolds led Xavier (18-12 overall, 8-9 BIG EAST) with 15 points.

"In the first half I thought their speed and quickness had us a step behind," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Everything they did they just executed well. It took us some time to get a feel for their speed and their cutting.

"In the second half we really settled in defensively and did a good job."

Wright was asked if an adjustment in strategy had altered the game's flow.

"Not really," Wright explained. "We were just a step slow in everything we did in the first half. We just played a little harder in the second half and did what we wanted to do defensively."

"At halftime, we just said: we've got a good plan. We've just got to get down in there and be more intense. They were driving the ball and we had to anticipate that."

A jump hook from junior Daniel Ochefu (10 points, eight rebounds on the day) got the Wildcats off on the right foot in the opening minute before Xavier answered with a 3-pointer - their first of seven in the opening 20 minutes - from Trevon Bluiett to take the early lead.

In fact, Xavier jumped out to an 8-2 before Ennis stepped up to drain a 3-pointer. The native of Canada helped Villanova hold its own during Xavier's early flurry and eventually gain a 25-21 lead midway through the period. But the Musketeers got their offense going again over the final six minutes and it fueled a 19-8 run that helped Xavier grab a 40-33 lead at intermission.

Ennis scored 14 first half points but it was Xavier's balance, typically a Villanova trademark, that told much of the story. Six different Musketeers drained at least one 3-pointer in the period and all eight Xavier players who saw action in the period scored. Jalen Reynolds set the scoring pace with nine first half points to go with four rebounds.

However, the second half was a different story, even as Xavier clamped down on seniors JayVaughn Pinkston and Darrun Hillaird, who combined for 40 points in Tuesday night's win over Providence. The tandem combined for only 10 points in this one but their teammates stepped up at the offensive end.

At the defensive end, Villanova limited Xavier to 8-of-25 shooting (.320) after halftime and took control on the glass (33-31 rebounding edge). And that, in turn, helped the Wildcats find their offensive footing.

Arcidiacono, for one, scored seven points early in the second half to shave the halftime deficit to one point. Then Jenkins gave Villanova the lead for good at 59-57 with 7:57 left to play in the contest. The Wildcats would outscore the Musketeers 19-9 the rest of the way to post their tenth consecutive BIG EAST victory.

Jenkins played 23 minutes and Wright lauded his total effort.

"Kris wouldn't have been out there if he wasn't playing good defense," noted Wright. "He was playing good defense which was really valuable to our team. The threes he hits, we see those every day. It's no surprise for us.

"To do that on the road, against a really good team, just shows the kind of guts he has."

With the win, Villanova also assured itself of the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Wildcats will open play on Thursday, March 12 at noon against the winner of the 8-9 game played the previous evening.

Next up for the Wildcats is their final regular season road game as Villanova visits Creighton on Tuesday evening at 9:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1). It will close out the regular season next Saturday against St. John's at the Wells Fargo Center.

Note: There will be a special edition of Talking Villanova Basketball with Jay Wright that will air on Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. from J.D. McGillicuddy's in Wayne. This replaces a show that was postponed in January due to winter weather conditions.

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