Eric Dixon scored 28 points to lead Villanova to a 73-65 comeback win on the road at Butler on Wednesday night in Indianapolis, extending the Bulldogs’ losing streak to six games.
The Wildcats (9-5, 2-1 Big East) went on a 22-1 run over the final five minutes of the game to erase a 13-point deficit and cruise with the lead.
Wooga Poplar also added 18 for Villanova along with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Jahmyl Telfort led Butler (7-7, 0-3) with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Bulldogs did not make a field goal in the final six minutes of the contest, missing 10 of their final 11 shot attempts.
It was a back-and-forth first half. The Wildcats went on a 6-0 run toward the end of the half to temporarily grab the lead, but Finley Bizjack’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 31-30 edge going into the break.
Butler was strong offensively to start the second half. With 12 minutes to go, the Bulldogs were up five on Telfort’s two free throws.
They went on a stretch in which they knocked down five of six shots from the floor and shortly after grew their largest lead of the day of 13 with six minutes to play.
However, the Wildcats answered in a big way.
Villanova’s run was fueled by Jordan Longino and Dixon. Those two hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a 65-64 edge with 1:35 to go.
Butler committed turnovers the next three times it had the ball, suddenly giving Villanova a 69-64 lead with 27 seconds to play.
From there, Villanova made its free throws and Butler continued to miss all of its opportunities from the field.
–Field Level Media
