Final Score: Creighton 86, Villanova 79
 
Overview
Villanova (8-5, 1-1 BIG EAST) came into its first road trip of the BIG EAST slate looking to build on a five-game winning streak. While it stayed within arm's reach in the opening half, Creighton (8-5, 1-1 BIG EAST) built a sizeable double-digit lead halfway into the second that the Wildcats could not overcome, falling 86-79 in Omaha, Neb.
 
The largest Wildcat lead came in the early parts of the first half in the form of a three-point advantage on an Eric Dixon outside jumper at the 17:59 mark. From there, Creighton battled back to take control of the game and, eventually, the outright lead that snapped Nova's winning ways.
 
"They came out and they set the tone," Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said. "They made some early ones, some tough ones, but some that we wanted to take away that we didn't. I give them a lot of credit. They came in and made a lot of shots, especially early. I thought we had it going offensively as well, but we were just trading baskets and they outlasted us with making shots."
 
Three Wildcats all finished with double-digit scoring with Dixon (27), Wooga Poplar (19) and Jhamir Brickus (16) leading Villanova's scoring efforts. Poplar led all players with 10 rebounds, grabbing nine on the defensive end.
 
Close First Half: The opening 20 minutes brought a rather balanced scoring effort with the largest lead from either side being just six points. Villanova built a three-point lead early on a pair of jumpers from Jordan Longino and Dixon, but a 7-0 Bluejays spurt was capped by a Jamiya Neal three-pointer gave Creighton a 16-10 lead with 14:47 to play in the half. Villanova was able to get back within two numerous times down the stretch of the half but never close enough to tie or take the lead. Dixon hit the final basket of the frame at the 1:05 mark with a long-distance connection to put Villanova behind 40-38 at the break.
 
Brickus and Dixon led Villanova's offense in the opening 20 with 12 points each, going a combined 10-of-17 from the field and were the only 'Cats to connect from deep.
 
Dixon's Outing: The graduate led the way with his fifth-consecutive game of at least 20 points, finishing the day with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and four made threes. He accounted for all 11 of the Wildcats opening points in the second half, hitting two threes, two layups and a free throw in the first 7 minutes to keep Villanova within eight. That basket from the foul line halted a 7-0 Creighton run that started to give the Bluejays some distance.
 
Running Game: There were nine combined runs of at least four-points for each side on the afternoon but a majority fell in favor of Creighton. The Bluejays led for 37:06 of the afternoon and had a pair of 7-0 runs. The deciding one came early in the second half with Ryan Kalkbrenner sinking a pair of dunks and Neal hitting a three at the 14:38 mark to make it a 10-point Creighton lead, 56-46.
 
The 'Cats gained ground late with a 6-0 run on a Dixon jumper and back-to-back buckets from Kris Parker. The Bluejays went the final minute without a made field gal that allowed Villanova to claw back to a six-point deficit on a Longino three with 22 seconds remaining but could not get closer.
 
Up Next: Villanova embarks on an 11-day layoff before it hits the hardwood again in the new year, kicking off 2025 with a road contest at Butler on Jan. 1. Tip-off from Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed on FS1.