CINCINNATI, Ohio – After back-to-back blistering 3-point shooting efforts at Temple and DePaul, Villanova found another way to work its way to a BIG EAST victory, downing Xavier 64-55 before a sold-out crowd at Cintas Center Saturday.
 
Sophomore Saddiq Bey scored 22 points to pace the Wildcats, who also got a strong performance from junior Jermaine Samuels, who added 17 points and eight rebounds in the Wildcats' fourth consecutive win. Xavier fell to 17-10 overall, 6-8 BIG EAST. The Wildcats are now 21-6 overall, 10-4 BIG EAST.
 
Villanova prevailed despite connecting on 7-of-29 from beyond the 3-point arc (.241). It did so largely on the strength of its work at the defensive end, where it limited the Musketeers to .357 from the field and 3-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc (.250).
 
"That was a good win for us," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Xavier is definitely an NCAA Tournament caliber team. I thought our defense was really good – maybe our best defensive effort of the year.
 
"They did a good job defensively too. We couldn't get Collin Gillespie going. We kind of had to piecemeal it, find ways to get buckets. That's what a good team does. I'm proud of our guys."
 
Villanova overcame its challenging day from distance by scoring 32 points in the paint.
 
"They're really good at defending the 3," noted Wright. "I can't really remember a good look we got. The shots we got were contested. They forced us to score inside. I thought Jermaine Samuels had a couple of good scores for us off of post-up moves. Saddiq got to the basket a few times. That's something we've been getting gradually better at. We needed it today."
 
Early offensive production from Samuels (six points) and freshman Justin Moore (five points) helped the Wildcats craft an early 18-10 edge through the game's first 11:01. Meanwhile, the Villanova defense did sharp work in limiting the Musketeers to 4-of-16 from the field in that same stretch and also forcing four turnovers.
 
Bey began to heat up midway through the period and his 3-pointer helped Villanova push its advantage to 23-12. But Xavier's own offense began to warm as well with Naji Marshall supplying much of the firepower. At the 4:18 mark of the first half the Wildcats held a 25-21 lead. A second personal foul was whistled on Collin Gillespie at the 2:47 mark of the period, presenting the Wildcats with another challenge.
 
A nifty low-post drop-step move by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl gave the Wildcats two points and a 27-21 lead as the clock dipped below two minutes to play in the period. Moore then scored on a drive to the goal and was fouled. His free throw made it 30-21 and that's where the score stood at halftime.
 
Both teams attempted 30 field goals in the first 20 minutes. Nova converted 13 while Xavier made nine. Bey's 10 points and the eight scored by Moore set the scoring pace for the Wildcats.
Villanova also held Xavier forward Tyrique Jones without a field goal in five attempts from the floor.
 
"Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was amazing," stated Wright of how the Wildcats helped to hold Jones in check. "He's got good size, good quickness and I thought he did a good job of matching Jones, who has both those things. We weren't sure he could do that. (Jones) got J-Rob in foul trouble and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree did a good job on him as well."
 
The tandem of Bey and Moore made sure the Wildcats began the second half on the right foot. The pair combined for eight points in the first 4:31 of the period to help Nova build a 40-26 lead over the Musketeers.
 
Xavier responded with an 8-0 burst that closed the Nova margin to 40-34 with Jones able to assert himself on the interior and glass. However, the Wildcats were able to string together a series of stops while Bey and Samuels helped rev up the offense. When Bey sank two free throws at the 4:22 mark of the second half, the lead was the largest of the day at 57-41.
 
Six consecutive Xavier free throws in a stretch of just less than a minute narrowed the deficit to 57-47 with 3:04 remaining. The Musketeers' full court pressure caused headaches before a Bey 3-pointer off a press break extended the lead to 60-47. A Marshall layup brought Xavier back to within 60-49. A Samuels basket at the 1:21 mark made it 62-49 and a layup by Gillespie gave Nova its final points of the afternoon.
 
The final score was 64-55.
 
"Villanova did a really good job of being physical around the basket," stated Xavier coach Travis Steele. "Give them credit."
 
Villanova resumes action on Wednesday with its final regular season game at Finneran Pavilion. It hosts St. John's at 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and 610 ESPN Radio). Prior to the game, Villanova will host its "Senior Night". Tim Saunders and a group of student managers will be recognized. At halftime, the No. 1 jersey of former Wildcat and six-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry will be retired. For those interested in attending the Men's Basketball game vs St. John's please visit Vivid Seats, our Official Resale marketplace. Tickets are available here.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.