Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Villanova 66, Xavier 65
 
Held Off the Musketeers: Villanova put together a stellar defensive effort and needed every ounce of it to withstand a late Xavier run that cut into a Villanova lead that reached 48-38 midway through the second half.
 
The Musketeers (7-7 overall, 1-2 BIG EAST) closed to within 62-61 with 2:05 left and it was nip and tuck the rest of the way. Two Eric Dixon free throws at the 1:44 mark made it a three-point margin before Quincy Olivari answered with two free throws for Xavier with 1:24 to go.
 
After a Wildcats miss and a possession that was ruled to belong to the Musketeers after an officials' review, Xavier had a chance to take the lead, but Desmond Claude's shot missed. Dixon collected the rebound and was fouled. He drained two more free throws with 12.6 seconds left to push the edge up to 66-63. A pull up jumper by Claude cut the margin to 66-65 with 5.3 seconds left. Dixon was fouled on the inbounds play but missed on both of his free throw attempts.
 
Claude raced down the court with the ball for another pull-up jumper but Dixon's close-out made an impact and the shot hit the front of the rim and caromed off just before the final horn sounded.
 
Delightful D: The 'Cats limited the Musketeers to 25-of-68 shooting on the evening (.368), including 5-of-18 from beyond the 3-point arc (.278). Guards Claude and Quincy Olivari were a combined 8-of-30 from the field.
 
"I was really proud of the way we competed," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "We really defended well. If you take away some of their offensive rebounds, I loved the way we defended. If we defend like that, and can clean up the rebounding, we'll be in a great spot."
 
Helpful Hart: Graduate transfer Hakim Hart (Maryland) again played a critical role in a Villanova victory. He logged 29:37, connected on 5-of-9 from the field to finish with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.
 
"We saw it when he came in this summer," noted Dixon of Hart. "They got guys out of the portal that want to be a part of this, want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I'm not at all surprised. I'm just happy for him."
 
Added Hart on his recent stretch of success: "I've just been staying with it, listening to my teammates and coaches each day at practice. It's just working and it's been showing in the games."
 
Fast Start: The Wildcats (10-4 overall, 3-0 BIG EAST) moved atop the conference standings by virtue of this win and Seton Hall's 61-57 victory at Providence earlier in the evening.
 
"The only thing we're thinking about is that we have St. John's coming in here on Saturday," Neptune said when asked about the unblemished mark in league play.
 
Burst Brought 'Cats back: After watching Xavier grab an 8-4 lead, the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 surge highlighted by 3-point field goals from TJ Bamba and Brendan Hausen. With 11:59 left in the first half, Nova held a 15-14 lead.
 
The Musketeers jumped back in front on the strength of a 6-0 burst at 17-15 but a 9-0 Villanova fueled by a Hart transition layup and another Hausen triple, pushed the 'Cats up by a 24-19 count after 12:04 of game action.
 
Four straight points from Hart – one off a drive to the goal on which he was scored, the other on a put-back after he missed the subsequent free throw allowed Villanova to take a 34-29 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
Hausen and Hart each had nine first half points for the Wildcats.
 
Search for Scoring: The Wildcats struggled to find the range from the field in the final 10 minutes, sinking just 1-of-11 from the floor in that span.
 
"We're going against a good team," noted Neptune. "They were locked in defensively. You're going back and forth for a good amount of the game. They get used to what you're doing. They start taking it away. It gets tougher and tougher towards the end of the game."
 
What They Said: Neptune when asked about the 12 points supplied by Hausen, who sank 4-of-7 from beyond the arc: "He's seen the ball go in a lot in his life. I don't think he even knows his stats. If he's open, he'll shoot it, just like all of our guys. I thought he was really good defensively too."