Final Score: Villanova 68, No. 14 Cincinnati 60
 
E and D

The combination of Eric Dixon's offense (31 points) and a complete defensive effort helped Villanova outlast previously unbeaten Cincinnati (6-1 overall) in the Big 12/Big East Battle Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Villanova grabbed the lead midway through the first half and then repelled a series of Cincinnati charges to claim the win. Dixon dropped in two 3-pointers after the Bearcats had closed the lead to 55-49 with 3:54 left.
 
The Wildcats held Cincinnati to 10-of-29 shooting in the second half (.345) and .383 shooting for the contest.
 
"A lot of credit goes to Cincinnati," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They're a tough, disciplined, well-coached team. Our guys came out and played hard. We were intense for the entire 40 minutes. That was our best performance over 40 minutes. We've had times this season where we've played well in spurts but this is the first time we've put together a full 40 minutes."
 
A Spirited Start

Lead changes and shot-making were all on display in the opening 7:05 of this Big 12/Big East Battle affair. Wooga Poplar and Jhamir Brickus combined for nine early points to help offset six points from the Bearcats' Jizzle James as Villanova claimed a 14-11 advantage at the night's first official timeout.
 
A mid-range Jordan Longino jumper and a shot clock violation forced by the Wildcats pushed the lead to 16-11.
 
The Wildcats defense, which included ample use of a 2-3 zone, was the foundation of what became a 13-2 run with a Tyler Perkins 3-pointer to beat the shot clock giving Nova a 24-13 lead at the 7:23 mark.
 
Bearcats Battle Back:

Cincinnati found an offensive flow after falling behind by 11 points. Its stingy defense and mid-range game keyed a 13-6 burst towards the end of the period to close the gap to 30-26.
 
But the Wildcats went on a 7-2 surge over the final three minutes of the period, including a 3-pointer by Brickus just before the horn to give Villanova a 37-28 lead at intermission.
 
Brickus and Dixon led Villanova with 11 points each. James paced the Bearcats with 10 points.
 
Second Act
 
To open the second half, the Wildcats ran two plays for Eric Dixon and the graduate student scored twice to extend the Nova lead to 41-28. Cincinnati, though, scored the next eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers after forcing VU turnovers, to shave their deficit to 41-36 after 4:28 of action.
 
"At this level you know a team of that quality is going to make a run," said Neptune.
 
At that point Cincinnati held a 20-10 edge on points in the paint. Five straight points from Rimas Lukosius brought Cincinnati to within 43-41.
 
However, Villanova never surrendered the lead.
 
"We were able to string some defensive stops together," noted Neptune.
 
Jig and Wooga Mattered

Brickus (Coatesville, Pa.) and Poplar (Philadelphia) are local products who came to Villanova last spring after getting their starts elsewhere in college basketball. Both veterans were indispensable Tuesday night.
 
Brickus contributed 13 points to go with nine assists and zero turnovers.
 
Poplar delivered his first double-double as a Wildcat with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 33:53.
 
Another transfer, Perkins, added two important 3-pointers and Enoch Boakye blocked four shots.
 
It's a Fact

Unranked Villanova teams improved to 13-18 all-time in the Pavilion against ranked opponents. Six of those wins have come in the last eight games played on campus against ranked foes. The most recent win prior to tonight came on Feb. 27, 2019 when the 'Cats knocked off No. 10 Marquette at the Finn.
 
Up Next

Villanova meets Temple at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in the Big Five Classic. NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus will air the game live. The contest will also air on the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart at the conclusion of the Villanova Football FCS playoff game at Incarnate Word (2 p.m. kickoff).