Villanova survived a late comeback bid from Xavier on Wednesday night at the Finneran Pavilion, winning, 66-65. The win improves the Wildcats to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in Big East play.
Graduate guard Justin Moore did not appear in the game, as he is still recovering from a right knee sprain suffered against Kansas State on Dec. 5.
Three ‘Cats stepped up to fill the scoring void. Graduate guard Hakim Hart led the Wildcats with 14 points, while redshirt senior forward Eric Dixon contributed 13 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Brendan Hausen had 12 points, all on three-pointers.
Villanova led for nearly 33 minutes, including the entire second half, but allowed Xavier (7-7, 1-2 Big East) to hang around. The ‘Cats’ largest lead was 10 with 15:22 to go in the second half. The ‘Cats went scoreless from the field over the final 6:07 of the game, allowing Xavier to go on a 7-0 run to bring the score within one, 62-61.
The Wildcats scored four points over the final six minutes of game time. Dixon accounted for all four points, all of which were scored from the foul line.
However, it came down to the final moments. Dixon missed two free throws with four seconds to go, giving the ball back to the Musketeers down one. Xavier sophomore guard Desmond Claude pulled in Dixon’s second miss and ran the length of the floor. Defended by Dixon, Claude missed a pullup jumper from within the painted area that would have won the game.
The Wildcats escaped with a win on their home floor, even with the offense going silent over the final five minutes. They are the only unbeaten team remaining in Big East play, as fellow unbeaten Providence lost at home to Seton Hall, 61-57.
Villanova will next see action against St. John’s (10-4, 2-1 Big East) in the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tip time is set for 1 P.M. The game will be televised on Fox.
