Final Score: Columbia 90, Villanova 80
 
Milestone Moment:
Villanova's first two points of the night came on a jumper by Eric Dixon, seeing his first game action of the regular season after serving a one-game NCAA suspension Monday night. That bucket pushed him past the 1,500-point plateau.
 
Dixon would score 10 of Villanova's first 13 points over the game's first eight minutes. The Wildcats held a 13-12 lead over Columbia at that point as the Lions capitalized on a 7-4 edge on the glass.
 
By night's end, Dixon had 33 points, one shy of a career high set last November against North Carolina in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 
Lions Closed Half with a Roar:

A pair of Jordan Longino 3-pointers on consecutive possessions helped Villanova build a 28-20 lead but Columbia ended the period on a 19-9 run to take a 39-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Lions connected on 5-of-6 of their final field goals in the half and were 15-of-30 for the first 20 minutes. Rubio De La Ros sank a 3-pointer just before the halftime sounded to give Columbia the lead at the break.
 
Meanwhile, the Wildcats were 11-of-25 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
Hot Shooting Continued:
The Lions connected on 7-of-12 field goal attempts over the first 7:23 of the second half, Villanova matched that output, but it trailed 56-53 at that juncture. Shortly thereafter, the Wildcats' Wooga Poplar limped to the sidelines with a left leg injury. The Miami transfer had contributed 12 points before seeing Head Athletic Trainer Dan Erickson.
 
Poplar returned to the court a short while later, but the Wildcats were still challenged to slow Columbia's offense. Two free throws with 7:41 to play in the period put the Lions up 64-57.
 
The margin continued to expand despite Nova's best efforts to extinguish the run. Columbia's lead was 77-64 at the 3:18 mark of the second half. A Tyler Perkins floater shaved the gap to 77-66 with 2:59 remaining.
 
A couple of lines from the stat sheet stood out.
 
The Lions owned a 36-24 advantage on points scored in the paint and a 27-9 edge on fastbreak points.
 
Columbia Strikes Again:
This marked the Lions second consecutive win over the Wildcats on campus. In November 2012, Columbia knocked off Villanova 75-57 at the original Pavilion.
 
What They Said:
Head Coach Kyle Neptune: "We have to give a lot of credit to Columbia. They came in with a game plan, they moved the ball, shared the ball and had counters to everything we tried to do to them defensively. We just couldn't get enough stops."
 
"We've got to get more solid. Our habits aren't where they need to be right now. It seems like simple things. Getting the ball inbounds. Making entry passes, being strong with the ball against double teams. We have to become way more solid and pay attention to detail."
 
"When you turn the ball over, there is no transition defense. We gave up 90 points. You're going to have a hard time winning games when your opponent scores like that."
 
Up Next:
Villanova is back in action Friday night when it hosts NJIT at 8:30 p.m. at Finneran Pavilion (FS1).