Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 72, Butler 62
When: 6:30 PM ET, Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Where: William B. Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials: # James Breeding, # Lee Cassell, # Tony Henderson
Attendance: 6501

Eric Dixon scored 22 points to lift host Villanova past Butler 72-62 on Tuesday.

Dixon's 3-pointer from the corner with 1:01 left gave the Wildcats that exact lead. Justin Moore and Brendan Hausen added 13 apiece for Villanova (15-11, 8-7 Big East), which won its third in a row.

The Wildcats finished 10-of-24 from 3-point territory and 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Jahmyl Telfort led Butler with 19 points while Posh Alexander added 15 and Pierre Brooks II had 10.

The Bulldogs (16-11, 7-9) lost their third straight game. They missed nine of their last 11 attempts from the field -- all nine coming from 3-point range -- as they finished 11-for-29 from distance.

Dixon hit two free throws with 5:47 left. After Telfort missed a 3-pointer from the corner, Dixon stayed aggressive and made two more free throws for a 63-54 Villanova lead with 5:07 remaining.

Telfort connected from 3-point range with 4:20 left and the Bulldogs got within 63-57, but they would draw no closer than six points down the stretch.

Villanova led 44-35 at halftime thanks in large part to 11 points from Moore and 60.7 percent shooting as a team. Alexander hit all four of his 3-pointers to pace the Bulldogs with 12 points.

Alexander dropped in a 3-pointer from the wing over the outstretched arms of TJ Bamba with 9:26 remaining in the first half for a 23-22 Butler lead. Dixon responded with a trey with 8:20 left as the Wildcats went back in front.

Villanova took a 31-26 lead with 5:30 remaining after Moore hit a 3-pointer from the corner. Telfort came right back with a 3-pointer on Butler's next possession.

Moore fired a crisp pass into the lane that Tyler Burton caught, and he scored for a 35-29 advantage with 3:44 left.

After trailing by nine at halftime, Butler cut the deficit to 48-46 with 13:28 left in the second half following a deep 3-pointer by Telfort.

Hausen then hit a short jump shot and a trey for the Wildcats to pull out to a 53-46 advantage.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Butler   Villanova
Jahmyl Telfort 19 Scoring Eric Dixon 22
Posh Alexander 3 Assists Tyler Burton 3
Jahmyl Telfort 7 Rebounds Tyler Burton 6
Posh Alexander 3 Free Throws Made Eric Dixon 8
Posh Alexander 2 Steals Jordan Longino 2
Jalen Thomas 1 Blocks Mark Armstrong 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Butler 62 43.1 11-29 7-10 14 19 1 6 7
Villanova 72 49.0 10-24 12-12 12 33 3 4 12