CINCINNATI, Ohio – No. 14 Villanova held off a rally by No. 17 Xavier over the final 10 minutes to post a 64-60 BIG EAST victory over the Musketeers on Wednesday night at the Cintas Center.
 
The game flipped the script of the first meeting between the teams on Dec. 21. In that one, Xavier built a 38-30 lead at halftime before the Wildcats used a 41-21 burst to post the a win. This time, Villanova had the better of the action in the first half, crafting a 38-27 lead before the Musketeers closed the gap to one point in the final minutes.
 
Collin Gillespie led Villanova with 21 points, Justin Moore added 19 points while Eric Dixon tied a season high with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"I'm really proud of our guys," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright, whose team posted its fifth consecutive win. "That's an outstanding Xavier team. We knew there was no way they were going to lay down. They were going to keep coming at us, which they did. They were great in the second half.
 
"Collin Gillespie was the only guy that wasn't in foul trouble. The whole team was in foul trouble. Jermaine Samuels played hurt, Brandon Slater played hurt. We just gutted it out against a great Xavier team."
 
Gillespie's poise in the final minutes in front of a hostile crowd at the Cintas Center was a huge part of the victory in Wright's estimation.
 
"He was just a true warrior tonight," Wright stated. "He played 35 minutes, defended (Nate) Johnson, led us especially in those times when we had guys out of the game with fouls. Collin stayed in there, carried us and did an amazing job. It's great to have a leader like him."
 
The two teams were tied at five after 5:28 of the first half. The guard tandem of Moore (six points) and Gillespie (seven points) helped the 'Cats craft a 15-10 lead as the contest approached the midpoint of the first half.
 
Villanova forward Eric Dixon added an inside dimension, scoring eight points inside, to help the Wildcats stretch their advantage to 30-17 with 5:09 to play in the first half. By the time freshman Jordan Longino sank a jump shot to beat the shot clock, Villanova held a 34-17 lead over the Musketeers on the strength of an 11-0 burst.
 
Xavier cut into the margin in the final 90 seconds and at halftime, Villanova held a 38-27 lead.
 
Gillespie (14 points) and Dixon (12 points) were the scoring leaders for the Wildcats. Nate Johnson's eight points paced the Musketeers, who connected on 7-of-25 first half field goal attempts (.280). Villanova was 12-of-32 from the field (.375) over the first 20 minutes. Thanks in large part to the work of Dixon, Nova held a 14-8 edge in points scored in the paint.
 
Five points early in the period from Gillespie helped Villanova build a 45-33 lead but Xavier began to flex its offensive muscle, closing the gap to 45-38 after a Nate Johnson 3-pointer with a little more than 14 minutes to play in the period. Yet the Wildcats pushed back and nudged the lead back to 54-42 after a Dixon up and under move produced a basket and free throw.
 
However, Xavier's defense stiffened, holding the Wildcats without a field for more than four minutes to spark an 8-0 that brought the Musketeers to within 54-50 after a Paul Scruggs 3-point field goal with 4:58 to go in the period. Xavier cut the lead to 54-52 with just over four minutes to play on a Jack Nunge basket.
 
But Villanova kept its composure down the stretch despite its offensive struggles, getting four key free throws from Moore along with a big steal to help secure the victory.
 
The win improved Villanova's BIG EAST mark to 5-1 overall while Xavier dropped to 12-3 overall, 2-2 BIG EAST.
 
The Wildcats were scheduled to return to Philadelphia following the game. Up next on the 2021-22 schedule is Villanova's first home at the Wells Fargo Center in 23 months. ButleBut r will be the opponent for a clash slated for Sunday at noon (FS1 and the Villanova IHeart Radio Network). As a reminder, per city of Philadelphia guidelines, all fans attending the game will need to show proof of vaccination to enter the facility and masks are required while viewing the game except when eating or drinking.