Men's Basketball Falls to Villanova in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, March 7

Villanova, Pa.

12 p.m.

Xavier University

14-17,6-14Big East

Villanova

24-7,15-5Big East

Xavier

Villanova

Men's Basketball Falls to Villanova in Regular Season Finale

03.07.26 | Men's Basketball

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Musketeers will play Wednesday in BIG EAST Tournament

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Xavier men's basketball fell, 91-78, to Villanova in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion.

The Musketeers moved to 14-17 (6-14 BIG EAST), while the Wildcats improved to 24-7 (15-5 BIG EAST).

Xavier will next be in action at the BIG EAST Tournament, running from Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14 at Madison Square Garden.

NOTABLES

Villanova led by as many as 19 in the first half before going into the break up 12, 44-32. Jovan Milicevic and Roddie Anderson III each had seven first half points to lead the Musketeers.
Xavier would get within six, 57-51, in the first eight minutes of the second half after putting together a 12-3 run. The Musketeers would also be within six, 63-57, after back-to-back threes from Jovan Milicevic with just over 10 minutes remaining but the Wilcats would use an 11-0 run to extend the lead back to double figures, leading by as many as 16 before winning by 13, 91-78.
Jovan Milicevic led four Musketeers in double figures with 21 points after scoring 14 in the second half.
Malik Messina-Moore added 14 for Xavier, shooting 4-6 from the floor after the break for 10 second half points.
Filip Borovicanin scored 14 points, shooing 5-9 from the floor and 2-2 from three.
Isaiah Walker added 10 points of 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Roddie Anderson III led Xavier with five assists.
The Musketeers shot 40.9 (27-66) overall and 38.5 (10-26) from three, while the Wildcats connected on 56.5 (35-62) of their shots, including 41.9 (13-31) from three.
Villanova held a 39-28 advantage on rebounds overall. Each team had eight offensive rebounds with the Wildcats finishing with a 9-6 advantage on second-chance points.
Xavier finished with seven turnovers to 12 for the Wildcats, with the Musketeers holding a 20-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Duke Brennan led the Wildcats with 20 point and also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.