VILLANOVA – What began as a dream start for Xavier Tuesday at Villanova, turned into a nightmare in the second half.
The Musketeers went from a dominant opening 20 minutes to being dominated for the final 20 minutes as No. 23 Villanova overcame a 38-30 halftime deficit to beat No. 18 Xavier 71-58 at Finneran Pavilion.
Xavier turned the ball over five times in the first half and had three in the first 75 seconds of the second half as all the momentum it worked so hard to build evaporated one play after another.
Villanova started the second half on a 12-3 run while Xavier played some of the most careless basketball it's played all season.