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CINCINNATI, Ohio ââ'¬" A stirring road performance while a man down helped lift No. 2 Villanova to a 73-57 victory over No. 24 Xavier here Saturday. Sophomore Jalen Brunson and redshirt freshman Donte DiVincenzo each scored 17 points to lead a balanced Wildcats attack.

Prior to the game, it was announced that senior Darryl Reynolds ââ'¬" who had started each of VU's first 25 games - would be unavailable today due to a rib injury. In addition, redshirt freshman forward Tim Delaney (Mullica Hill, N.J.) was back in the Philadelphia area after undergoing surgery on his left hip this week. There is no timetable for a return to basketball activities for Delaney while Reynolds is listed as day-to-day moving forward.

Xavier, meanwhile was without Edmond Sumner, lost last month to a season ending knee injury and saw Trevon Bluiett limited to 19 minutes, all in the first half, due to injury,,

"This league has become a war of attrition," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright, whose win was the 500th in a head coaching career that began at Hofstra in 1994. "I feel bad for Chris (Mack). Sumner is out and then Trevon getting hurt in the first half is tough. That has a big impact on the game.

"We were coming in minus a couple of guys too. That's what a season is in college basketball is. We all know it.

"I'm just proud of our senior leadership. We are so lucky. Kris (Jenkins) and Josh (Hart) have just been through everything. Coming up here today, seeing the students outside is a great sight. But it's intimidating. They were wild out there when they were out there.

"I'm really proud of how they led us in this game."

Wright was asked about the 500th win following the game inside the Cintas Center Media Room at a news conference.

"I always feel blessed that me and Patty can coach every day at Villanova," stated Wright, whose first win came over Cornell in November of 1994 "To work with these (players), to work with the people I do, to be a part of the Villanova community means far more to me than a number. I thank God every day I go in there."

After a 3-pointer by Mikal Bridges opened the scoring Xavier came back with a 7-0 spurt as the Wildcats' offense had a hard time getting untracked. But a 9-0 response from Villanova, capped by a Jenkins' 3ââ'¬"point basket gave VU back the lead and then some at 20-12.

Villanova's underclassmen carried the scoring load for the remainder of the period as Brunson and DiVincenzo helped steer Villanova to a 35-23 halftime advantage. Brunson contributed 12 points over the first 20 minutes while DiVincenzo added 10 points.

Without their second leading rebounder in the lineup ââ'¬" Reynolds ââ'¬" Villanova was more vulnerable on the interior. RaShid Gaston led Xavier with eight points and five rebounds in the first period and would end the day with a game high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier owned a 19-12 edge on the glass at halftime but Villanova's offensive efficiency ââ'¬" it connected on 12-of-24 from the field ââ'¬" allowed it to craft a double digit lead.

Even without one of its stars, Xavier pressed with a run early in the second half. After a Gaston basket with 14:46 remaining, the Musketeers were within 47-40. Yet Xavier would get no closer as Villanova's defense stiffened each it time it was tested, helping offset a 42-26 rebounding edge for Xavier.

How did the Wildcats do it? By limiting Xavier to .350 shooting from the field on the day while sinking .519 of its attempts from the field.

"They're a great rebounding team anyway so we knew without Darryl it would be tough," stated Wright. "But I thought our guys did a good job of not fouling when we couldn't get a rebound. Sometimes it's easy to get frustrated when you are being outrebounded and I thought we did a good job of staying away from that."

Jenkins finished with 12 points and five rebounds while splitting most of the minutes at the five spot with Eric Paschall. Hart contributed 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and zero turnovers in 37 minutes of activity while also often forced to guard forwards.

The Wildcats are now 24-2 overall, 11-2 in the BIG EAST. They landed in Chicago on Saturday evening to begin preparations for Monday night's meeting with DePaul (9 p.m. eastern/CBS Sports Network and 610 Sports Radio).