Final Stats

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- After three straight trips to Hinkle Fieldhouse that produced narrow victories, Villanova failed to solve Butler on its fourth visit to this fabled venue. The No. 18 Bulldogs used a 7-0 spurt in the final minutes to grab a 64-58 victory over the No.1 ranked Wildcats Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 9,206.

The loss snapped a school record 20-game winning streak and also halted the best start in program history as the Wildcats fell to 14-1 overall, 2-1 BIG EAST. The Bulldogs are now 13-2 overall, 2-1 BIG EAST.

"As always when we come here I say it: great college basketball game and great atmosphere," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "The Butler fans are awesome. This place reeks history and tradition.

"It's a game of inches and little things. Butler just did more of those tonight. Over the course of a game it comes down to hitting a shot here, making an extra pass there. They did a better job of that than us. I credit their defense for that."

Indeed, the Wildcats, who came in averaging a shade less than 80 points per game, were limited to 19-of -51 shooting on the night (.373). Meanwhile, Butler found a smoother offensive flow in the second half, connecting on 52 percent of its attempts from the floor on route to the triumph.

Sophomore Jalen Brunson led the Wildcats with 23 points while senior Josh Hart contributed 13 points and eight rebounds.

Last year's meeting between the two squads here -- also played in early January -- featured a gritty defensive tussle. The first 10 minutes of this year's duel offered more of the same. A 2-3 zone helped the Wildcats slow the Bulldogs attack, holding Butler scoreless for more than four minutes. But Butler's work at the defensive end was stifling too and after 11 minutes, the score was 15-14 in favor of the Wildcats.

A 9-0 run capped by a pair of Bulldog free throws after a technical foul was whistled on Villanova head coach Jay Wright, gave the home team a 16-15 lead with 8:04 left on the first half scoreboard clock.

A deep 3-pointer from senior Kris Jenkins helped key an 8-0 burst that pushed Villanova back in front 23-16. Yet Butler had answer, reeling off seven straight points capped by a Kelan Martin 3-pointer. At the final official break of the first half, the contest was deadlocked at 23 with 2:50 to play before halftime.

Six points over the final 2:50 by Brunson helped the Wildcats grab a 31-27 lead after 20 minutes. Brunson, Hart and Jenkins each scored eight points to lead Villanova in the first period.

Butler got its offense moving early in the second half with Andrew Chrabascz leading the way, scoring five points for the Bulldogs, who took a 36-35 lead into the first official timeout of the second half.

For the fourth time in as many seasons, Villanova and Butler would go to the wire with the outcome hanging in the balance. The contest was tied at 47 with 6:24 left on the second half clock.

After a Hart drive and bucket put the Wildcats up 51-50, a short jumper by Kethan Savage gave the Bulldogs a 53-52 lead with 2:55 on the clock. A runner by Martin in the lane extended the advantage to 55-52. Butler then came up with a Savage steal and basket that also included a free throw. At the end of the sequence the Bulldogs had their largest lead of the night to that point, 58-52 with 1:46 on the clock.

Villanova got a defensive stop after a pair of Brunson free throws but a Kamar Baldwin steal and score pushed the edge to 60-54 with 53.3 seconds to play. But the Bulldogs kept the `Cats at bay by draining every free throw down the stretch to complete a perfect evening at the charity stripe (15-of-15).

The Wildcats return to action Saturday. They make their first regular season appearance of the '16-17 campaign at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 p.m. when they host Marquette.