In a battle between top five teams, No. 3 Villanova held off a second-half comeback by No. 4 Xavier and nailed down a 95-79 victory at Cintas Center, which was packed with 10,777 fans. The Musketeers are still in first place by a half game with a 12-3 record to the Wildcats’ 11-3, but Villanova has swept the season series which will give them an edge in tiebreakers.
Villanova (24-3) shot 60.3 percent from the field and was 16-of-34 from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges led six Wildcats in double figures with 25 points. He shot 10-of-15 from the floor.