Xavier Musketeers at Villanova Wildcats

No. 5 Villanova bests Xavier, propelled by Arcidiacono, Ennis

It's fair to say they're finding them now.

Ryan Arcidiacono had 18 points and six assists, Dylan Ennis finished with 17 points and six rebounds, and No. 5 Villanova made a season-high 15 3-pointers to beat Xavier 88-75 on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats have shot 38-for-86 from 3-point range during that stretch.

Center Matt Stainbrook scored 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting to lead Xavier (11-6, 2-3), and J.P. Macura and Jalen Reynolds added 14 points apiece.

The Musketeers shot 47.6 percent from the field and outscored Villanova 46-18 in the paint.

"I'm going to be very, very honest and tell you Villanova is a better team right now," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "They have juniors and seniors, and they are terrific. Not to put any type of pressure that isn't already on him, but Jay's got a Final Four-quality team."

Villanova, which went in shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range, made six 3-pointers in the first seven minutes and shot 15-for-34 from long range for the game.

Trailing by 23 early in the second half, the Musketeers reeled off 11 straight points to cut Villanova's lead to 61-49 with just less than 10 minutes remaining.

But Ennis buried his sixth 3-pointer of the game to slow down the Xavier rally, and Arcidiacono made his fourth 3 on Villanova's next trip down the floor. Before that stretch, the Wildcats had missed eight straight 3-pointers, which allowed the Musketeers to get back into the game.

After Macura's fourth 3-pointer sliced Xavier's deficit to 10 with five minutes left, Villanova scored eight straight points to put the game away, highlighted by a crucial three-point play from Darrun Hilliard (10 points).

"I was proud that our team continued to fight in the second half," Mack said. "We didn't cash in, but there aren't too many teams, if any, that are going to come into this building and get a win."

In a matchup pitting the top two scoring teams in the Big East, Villanova immediately came out firing, drilling three quick 3-pointers to take an 11-2 lead. Back-to-back 3s from Ennis and Phil Booth put Villanova ahead 22-11 with 12:30 left, and a personal 8-0 run from Hart put Villanova up 34-18 with 7:30 remaining.

The Wildcats made eight of their first 12 3-point attempts and finished the first half shooting 50 percent from behind the arc to take a 45-27 lead into halftime.

"Coming out making 3s the way we did was big," Wright said. "And we kind of just hung on in the second half."

TIP-INS

Xavier: Villanova is the only Big East opponent that Xavier has not beaten since joining the league in 2013-14. The Musketeers are 4-19 all-time against Nova and have lost three straight in the series. ... Before Wednesday's loss, Xavier had won three of its previous four games against ranked opponents.

Villanova: The Wildcats have won 23 straight games at the Pavilion, a run that began with a win over South Florida on Feb. 9, 2013. ... Villanova finished with 24 assists and five turnovers.

GOTTA HAVE HART

Five of Hart's seven rebounds came on the offensive end, and Wright gave the sophomore guard high praise after the game, calling him "one of the best offensive rebounders I've ever coached."

UP NEXT

Xavier: Hosts Marquette on Saturday.

Villanova: Plays at Penn on Saturday.

How can I watch Xavier vs. Villanova?

• TV Channel: Xavier at Villanova 2021 College Basketball, week 10, is broadcasted on FS1.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.