PHILADELPHIA _ Villanova and Xavier spent much of their Big East game Friday night showing a difference in their offensive philosophies. The Wildcats relied on the 3-point shot while the Musketeers were more focused on going inside for their points.
In the end, it was the 22nd-ranked Wildcats' 3-point shooting, especially at a key stretch of the second half, that carried the day for them. Phil Booth and Collin Gillespie combined for 11 baskets from beyond the arc and led the Cats to an 85-75 victory over Xavier at Wells Fargo Center to remain undefeated in conference play.
Booth went 5 of 9 from 3 and scored 22 points while Gillespie sank six 3s in 10 attempts and added 18 points. Eric Paschall contributed 17 points. Villanova made 15 3-point baskets in the game.
The Wildcats (14-4, 5-0 Big East) had seen an 11-point lead shrink to one, 48-47, when Quentin Goodin hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 11 minutes, 39 seconds to play, but bounced back when Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels and Booth knocked down 3-point baskets on consecutive possessions. A layup by Samuels finished off an 8-0 run and gave 'Nova a 59-50 lead with 8:57 remaining.
Villanova gradually pulled away with the help of another 3-ball by Gillespie and Paschall's conventional three-point play that made it 74-59 with 3:54 to play.
Tyrique Jones led Xavier (11-8, 3-3) with 21 points and 12 rebounds and Naji Marshall added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Wildcats held a 39-31 lead at the end of a first half with the help of eight 3-point baskets as compared to one for Xavier. The Musketeers scored 26 of their points in the paint, including the first 20 of the game.
Booth and Gillespie scored nine points apiece for the Wildcats, who shot 51.7 percent from the field to 41.7 points for the Musketeers.
The Wildcats went out to an 11-point lead, 44-33, as Booth scored their first five points of the half. But they went the next five minutes with just four points, and the Musketeers cut into the deficit. Back-to-back 3-point baskets by Marshall and Ryan Welage narrowed the gap to 44-41.
A pair of free throws each by Tyrique Jones and Quentin Goodin brought Xavier to within a point, 48-47, with 11:39 remaining before the Wildcats went on their streak of 3-pointers.
Villanova began the game sinking four of its first five shots from 3-point range, including two in a 10-0 run that gave the Wildcats an early 16-8 lead before the game was six minutes old. Xavier stayed in it with its inside game paced by 6-foot-11 Zach Hankins, who scored 12 of his team's first 20 points.
With a 23-20 lead, the Wildcats got a 3-point basket from Paschall and a conventional three-point play from Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree to take a nine-point lead with 7:17 remaining. But the Musketeers answered with seven straight points, and a drive by Kyle Castlin brought them to within two at 29-27, with 4{ minutes left.
Paschall then sparked a 10-2 run with a pair of drives in the lane, and a 3-pointer by Gillespie gave Villanova its largest lead of the period at 10, 39-29.
