Acaden Lewis scored 21 and Tyler Perkins added 17 as visiting Villanova edged Xavier, 92-89, in overtime Tuesday night in Big East play in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bryce Lindsay added 15 as Villanova (21-5, 12-3 Big East) won its sixth straight despite continuing to struggle from the free throw line late. It was Lindsay who hit a deep three from the right wing with 2:49 remaining in the extra session to put the Wildcats ahead for good, 86-83.
Tre Carroll had a game-high 28 and 10 rebounds while Jovan Milicevic added 20 for Xavier (13-13, 5-10) which committed 16 turnovers. Carroll committed six, including one with 2.5 seconds left that sealed the game for Villanova.
Xavier’s Filip Borovicanin missed a layup badly but Carroll was there for the offensive rebound and banked in a layup with 4.1 seconds left to forge an 81-81 tie. Lewis missed a running one-hander as regulation expired to send the game to overtime.
The Musketeers started out red-hot from the field, making seven of its first 10 shots and running to an early 16-8 lead.
The Wildcats started off ice cold, missing their first five 3-point attempts and eight of their first 12 shots overall. Villanova missed 14 of its first 19 from beyond the arc before finishing the game 12-for-34 from long range.
Villanova led 38-29 before Xavier answered with eight straight points, aided by a questionable flagrant foul called on Villanova big man Duke Brennan.
Moments later, Milicevic finished a layup to complete the six-point possession and bring Xavier within one.
Carroll finished his big first half with a three that tied the game, 42-42, before Lewis hit one of two free throws for a 43-42 Villanova lead at the half. Xavier stayed close in the first 20 minutes thanks to 51.4% shooting from the field.
Xavier took a brief 45-43 lead on an All Wright 3-pointer before Villanova answered with a 15-5 spurt for a 58-50 lead with 15:28 left.
Xavier slowly fought back and eventually took a 77-75 lead on an Isaiah Walker layup with 3:31 left, completing a 7-0 Musketeers run. Villanova led 81-77 with 1:27 remaining but missed four of six free throws down the stretch that would’ve put the game away.
–Field Level Media
