Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Wildcats 83, North Carolina 81 (Overtime)
 
Dixon Does Damage: Redshirt senior forward Eric Dixon picked up where he left off in Wednesday's 85-69 win over Texas Tech. Dixon supplied 12 points in the game's first nine minutes to help the Wildcats craft an 18-14 lead. North Carolina, however, used a 13-0 burst to take a 27-18 lead with six minutes to play in the first half.
 
Dixon dropped in a 3-pointer to end the drought and was fouled on the play. He added a free throw to give the product of Willow Grove, Pa., 1,002 points in his time on the Main Line. That was part of a 10-0 surge by Nova that put it back on top 28-27.
 
A pair of Dixon free throws with 9.2 seconds left gave VU a 32-31 lead. After a North Carolina time out, the Tar Heels ran a play for RJ Davis, who dropped in a fadeaway 3-pointer just before the horn sounded to give it at 34-32 lead at the break.
 
Second Half Battle: North Carolina held Wildcats standout guard Justin Moore without a field goal attempt in the first 20 minutes. But Moore scored in the lane on consecutive possessions early in the second half as part of a 10-6 surge that briefly gave the 'Cats the lead, 42-40. The Tar Heels answered with their own 3-ball and Davis hit a free throw to make it 44-42 at the 15:02 mark of the second half.
 
Meanwhile, Harrison Ingram was an offensive force for the Tar Heels, adding 18 points, including four 3-pointers, over the first 27 minutes to help UNC forge a 50-44 lead. The Tar Heels stretched the margin to 55-46 as the Wildcats were stuck in the midst of a scoring drought of four plus minutes.
 
"Some things didn't go our way," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune of that stretch. "They're a really good defensive team. They're big, they're athletic. They had a great gameplan. They made it tough for us."
 
A series of defensive stops by the Wildcats set up an 8-0 surge that tied the game at 57 with 8:29 on the second half clock. Tyler Burton's 3-pointer from the left wing got that surge started and it was capped by a pair of Mark Armstrong free throws.
 
"Credit to our guys for staying poised," said Neptune.
 
Villanova took the lead on a Dixon bucket at 61-59 but the Tar Heels scored the next four points to claim a 63-61 advantage with 3:58 to play in the second half. Moore responded with four straight points, and he drew a charging foul on Ingram, his fifth foul of the contest.
 
Davis sank two free throws at the 3:29 mark to cut the VU lead to 66-65. The Abington High School product then established a new career high in points (33) with a post move basket that upped the 'Cats lead to 68-65. But a corner 3-pointer from Cormac Ryan tied the contest at 68 and a Dixon misfire on a 3-pointer gave Carolina a chance for a final look with 3.3 seconds on the clock.
 
A Davis bid from beyond the arc was long, however, and this one went into overtime.
 
Extra Time: Ryan scored on a layup to give North Carolina the lead 70-68. Hakim Hart was then fouled on a 3-point attempt and dropped in all three free throws to give the 'Cats the lead, 71-70. Carolina went back on top 72-71 with 3:55 left in the overtime period on a pair of free throws.
 
But it was the Wildcats who took control over the final minutes. Moore put Nova ahead to stay with a short jumper in the paint with 2:08 remaining and was fouled. He subsequently drained the free throw and Villanova held a 76-74 lead it would not relinquish. Armstrong added a clutch post-up bucket and two free throws to keep the charging Tar Heels at bay.
 
What They Said: "We're still growing and learning as a team," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "Obviously we've got two veteran guys that led us today. We've got another game tomorrow. We're happy."
 
One Significant Story: Dixon finished with a career-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds on 11-of-19 shooting from the field. In two games in the Bahamas, he has scored 53 points.
 
"It's amazing because we played a bunch of games early where teams just double-teamed him," noted Neptune. "You can see why they doubled him now. He's really hard to deal with down there. Bigger guys, smaller guys, it really doesn't matter. We're lucky he's on our team."
 
More on Moore: Moore scored all 16 of his points in the second half and overtime after being held without a field goal attempt in the first half.
 
"Big-time players do big-time things in big-time moments," said Neptune. "Honestly, as a coach, looking at guys like Justin and Eric, gave me confidence. They weren't rattled at all and just kept coming."