Villanova celebrates a night of firsts in its road comeback against Butler

Villanova’s lethargic start to the new year turned into a 73-65 men’s basketball victory against Butler on Wednesday night.

After a 10-day layoff, the Wildcats managed to overcome the Christmas logjam and secure a road victory. It was Villanova’s (9-5, 2-1 Big East) first win at Hinkle Fieldhouse since March 5, 2022, and its first under head coach Kyle Neptune.

“A lot of the credit goes to (Butler), they came up with a great game plan and really made it difficult for us to score,” Neptune said after the game. “It has to be one game at a time, but this is a big win for our program.”

Neither team had played since Dec. 21, when Villanova lost 86-79 to Creighton and Butler fell 78-74 to Connecticut.

Both seemed to have to shake off some rust, as Villanova finished with 42.4% shooting and Butler (7-7, 0-3) with 42.3%. The Wildcats were also inconsistent from long range, shooting just 34.6%.

Graduate forward Eric Dixon maintained his status as the NCAA’s leading scorer. Dixon added another 28 points on 50 percent shooting. Point guard Wooga Poplar was another central contributor, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

The Wildcats, now sixth in the Big East, will host their conference foes on their home court for the next two games. DePaul (9-5, 0-3 Big East) will look for its first conference win when it visits Finneran Pavilion on Saturday (noon, FS1). The Blue Demons, currently ninth in the Big East, are coming off an 81-68 loss to UConn. Villanova will then host No. 11 UConn (11-3, 3-0 Big East) on Wednesday, Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m., FS1).

A turnaround at the end of the game

The Wildcats found the energy they needed with little time left on the clock, but still enough time to forge a comeback.

That energy came suddenly, in the form of a 22-1 run in the final 4:59.

Redshirt freshman guard Kris Parker added four points off the bench, including a layup and two free throws. Dixon gave Villanova the lead back, 65-64, with a three-pointer with just 1:35 left. Senior guard Jordan Longino scored nine of his 12 points that night during the comeback. In addition to a three-pointer, he made four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

Signs of progress in defense

One of Villanova’s main goals entering its third conference matchup of the season was to improve the defense. Villanova struggled to keep Butler away from the basket during a tight first half, led by the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, graduate forward Jahmyl Telfort, who finished the night with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Butler steadily increased the lead for most of the second half. A layup by senior forward Patrick McCaffrey maximized the lead with 6:03 left to play.

“It was an adjustment for us, but down the stretch we started making some stops,” Neptune said. “I definitely felt like we were locked in defensively in the last few minutes. We made about nine stops in a row and that is a great moment for us.”

The Wildcats also dominated the boards, outrebounding Butler, 43-30, led by the efforts of Poplar and senior forward Enoch Boakye, who had 14 rebounds.

Neptune added: “We didn’t start where we wanted to, but we kept our heads up and kept fighting, and we’re going to continue to do so.”