INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A superb start to the second half, which included a 14-0 burst, wasn't enough to carry Villanova past Butler Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs prevailed 79-71 in a BIG EAST clash.
 
"I thought we came out with good intentions to play hard for 40 minutes," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune.
 
After trailing 40-30 at halftime, Villanova turned matters around quickly in the early minutes of the second half, holding the Bulldogs without a field goal for more than eight minutes. But it was Butler that had the finishing kick, outscoring the 'Cats 17-9 over the decisive final minutes.
 
"At this level, there are no halftime speeches that are going to motivate a group of guys," stated Neptune. "We had some fire to start the half and I thought we were in a good spot. Unfortunately, we couldn't sustain it."
 
Eric Dixon connected on 9-of-12 field goal attempts and finished with 22 points. Caleb Daniels added 21 points. For Butler, Simas Lukosius tallied a game-high 28 points.
 
"He hurt us, no doubt," said Neptune of the Butler forward. "I thought he made some tough shots."
 
Four points from Cam Whitmore helped Villanova grab an 8-6 lead after 5:11 of the first half. The Wildcats were 3-of-4 from the field in that stretch but the Bulldogs forced three Nova turnovers early on. Five straight points by Butler's Chuck Harris – and two quick fouls on Villanova's Mark Armstrong – helped the Bulldogs move on top 15-13 at the 11:30 mark of the first half.
 
The lead expanded to 21-17 thanks to Butler's efficiency inside. The Bulldogs held an 18-8 advantage on points scored in the paint in the first 12:10 of the period, connecting on 9-of-10 inside the arc and 1-of-8 beyond it in that span.
 
Another drive and score from Harris pushed the Butler lead to 31-22 with 3:49 left in the period. A subsequent free throw stretched the margin to 32-22. Meanwhile, the 'Cats were in the throes of a scoring drought of more than four minutes, allowing Butler to expand the lead further, to 34-22 before a short Daniels jumper snapped the spell.
 
Two Daniels' 3-pointers were matched by a pair by Butler. At halftime, the Bulldogs led Villanova 40-30.
 
Butler owed its lead to 17-of-29 shooting from the field (.586) and the fact it forced eight Wildcats turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Villanova (8-10 overall, 2-5 BIG EAST) was 11-of-21 from the floor (.524) with Daniels setting the scoring pace with nine points while Dixon added eight points. A 10-3 edge in points off of turnovers and a 24-12 advantage on points scored in the paint were also part of the Butler story in the first half.
 
Four defensive stops in the first 2:51 of the second half, along with 3-pointers from Daniels and Brendan Hausen, were part of an 8-0 Villanova run to open the period, shaving the deficit to 40-38. When Dixon scored off a nifty feed from Chris Arcidiacono at the 15:03 mark the contest was tied at 40.
 
Two more buckets by Dixon made it a 14-0 burst and 44-40 lead before the Bulldogs registered their first point of the half at the 13:25 mark on a Connor Turnbull free throw. A Lukosius 3-pointer ended the field goal drought for Butler and after a Bulldog free throw, the Nova lead was 46-45.
 
Dixon's offense was matched by Lukosius, whose deep triple tied the game at 60. After another Dixon score put Villanova up 62-60, the Bulldogs (11-8 overall, 3-5 BIG EAST) scored the next four points, the last two on Lukosius free throws to take a 64-62 lead.
 
Butler extended its lead to 67-62 after a Wildcats missed shot and foul. A Daniels offensive rebound and put-back closed the gap to 67-64 as the clock ticked down to the three-minute mark. But Lukosius scored again, this time on a drive with 2:18 left to extend the edge to 69-64. A fast-break Bulldogs score made it 71-64 with 1:44 left.
 
Butler took care of its free throw work in the final minute plus to put the final touches on a 79-71 win.
 
Next up for Nova is a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee against Georgetown at Finneran Pavilion (Noon, Fox and the Villanova Sports Network).