Final Score: Villanova 80, Xavier 68
 
Overview
 
Eric Dixon scored 22 of his 24 points over the final 11:02, helping Villanova to an 80-68 BIG EAST victory on Sunday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. Dixon connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts in that stretch to help break open what had been a back-and-forth affair for much of the day.
 
Tyler Perkins chipped in with 20 points and five rebounds in 25:56 while senior Wooga Poplar added 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Wildcats.
 
The game was tied at 56 with 9:40 to go when a Dixon traditional 3-point lead began what would become a 24-12 burst to secure Villanova's 14^th win of the season (14-10 overall, 7-6 BIG EAST).
 
While, the offense grabbed the headlines, the Wildcats' ability to stymie Xavier down the stretch proved decisive.
 
"I was proud of the way our guys competed," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "Besides a couple of plays in transition, I thought we played a pretty complete defensive game. Then, in the second half, we made some tough shots as well. I thought we would be in good spot, either way, because of the way we defended."
 
Even Early
 
In the first six minutes here today one player for each team was carrying the scoring load. Xavier's Zach Freemantle scored six points in the first seven minutes while Villanova's Poplar delivered eight points. The contest was tied at 12 after eight minutes of action.
 
The other factor for the Wildcats was senior forward Enoch Boakye. The native of Ontario, Canada added six early points along with some solid interior defense. A Jordan Longino 3-pointer pushed the Villanova lead to 19-15 but the Musketeers answered with a 3-pointer from Marcus Foster.
 
With 7:26 left in the first half, Villanova held a 19-18 lead.
 
Game Stays Tight
 
The Villanova lead grew to 23-19 but a 6-0 burst with just over four minutes in the period allowed Xavier to re-take the lead at 25-23. A 3-pointer by Dante Maddox Jr. stretched the advantage to 28-23 before a Perkins 3-pointer pulled the Wildcats to within two points. That was followed by another Poplar triple, an VU had the lead back, 29-28.
 
Fittingly for a nip and tuck affair, the game was tied at 33 after a Perkins offensive rebound and score with four seconds left in the period.
 
Poplar led Villanova with 13 points while Perkins added seven points. Maddox Jr. paced the Musketeers with 13 points.
 
Both teams took care to pay close attention to the opponent who did the most damage to it in the prior meeting between these squads on Jan. 14 in Cincinnati. Villanova held Ryan Conwell to just two field goal attempts and zero points across the first 20 minutes (Conwell scored 34 points in the previous matchup.) And Xavier tracked the nation's leading scorer closely, limiting Dixon to four field goal attempts and two points.
 
Second Act
 
A pair of Poplar 3-pointers helped Villanova get off to a 6-2 start over the first 1:36 of the second half. Villanova stretched its advantage to 43-37 before a 7-0 burst by the Musketeers put Xavier on top 44-43, with 14:38 on the second half clock.
 
Over the first eight minutes of the second half, Xavier sank 8-of-13 from the field, including 3-pointers from Maddox Jr. and Conwell, to claim a 52-46 lead. Three-pointers by Perkins and Dixon level the score at 52 with 11:02 left.
 
That ushered in the start of the Dixon show.
 
"I wouldn't say anything really changed," said Dixon, who moved past John Pinone (2,024), Allan Ray (2,025), Howard Porter (2,026) and Doug West on the all-time Villanova scoring chart (2,044). "They were running guys at me in the first half but I thought gradually I began to get a feel for what they wanted to do. It's always good to see the ball go through the basket."
 
Perkins lent a hand, dropping two more triples of his own to make it a 4-of-5 day from distance.
 
"I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help the team, whether that's talking, energy, bringing the juice," said Perkins.
 
Said Neptune: "We truly look at the game a little differently than most people. We look at who is out there competing hard and Tyler does that. There were times when he wasn't making shots – someone on our staff told me the stat – and I didn't even realize it because he's out there competing."
 
Up Next
 
Villanova returns to Finneran Pavilion Wednesday night for the first time since Jan. 20, when it hosts the leader in the BIG EAST standings, No. 12 St. John's. Tipoff is set for just after 6 p.m. (FS1 and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart).