VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania – Villanova closed the first half on an 18-4 run against Xavier men's basketball en route to a 34-28 halftime lead.
The No. 15 Musketeers (13-2, 3-0 Big East) used hot 3-point shooting to take command of the opening 10 minutes at The Pavilion before a sellout crowd. Xavier shot 5 of 10 from deep and led by eight at the 7:24 mark of the opening period.
The Musketeers led for more than 16 minutes, but saw their grip on the game become increasingly tenuous.
Xavier missed each of its last 10 3-point attempts, including two by previously suspended senior guard Myles Davis.