Careless: Xavier Learns Costly Lesson About Taking Care Of The Ball In Painful 64-63 Loss To Villanova

CINCINNATI — The Xavier Musketeers are picking the wrong time to learn painful lessons.

Justin Moore scored a game-high 25 points to lead visiting Villanova to a 64-63 upset over the 16th ranked Muskies in Big East play Tuesday night at Cintas Center.

Yes, the Musketeers played their sixth straight game without Zach Freemantle, who had 28 against Villanova in Xavier’s 88-80 win at Villanova on Jan. 7. They were also without KyKy Tandy (ankle) and Kam Craft (knee).

And it’s true that Moore didn’t play in that Jan. 7 game at Finneran Pavilion, as he was still rehabbing from an Achilles injury in the Elite 8 win over Houston last March.

But coach Sean Miller was quick to point out the obvious Tuesday night. They lost leads of 31-18 and 40-30 not because of who didn’t or did play. They lost the leads and eventually the game because they didn’t do the one thing winning teams in March do – take care of the ball.

Just two weeks ago, this Xavier team had aspirations of catching Marquette atop the Big East and winning its second Big East regular season title. They were 19-5 and 11-2 in the conference. They were staring down a spot in the Top 10 and a Top 3 line come March.

A lot has changed since they lost that Friday night game at Butler on Feb. 10. They’ve lost three games by a total of four points. But Tuesday’s was preventable.

Xavier committed 10 of their 14 turnovers in the second half. They committed three during a three-minute stretch in which Villanova erased a 48-44 hole and took a 52-50 lead.

“In late February, playing these types of games, you start to have unforced turnovers, it doesn’t go well. And really, that second half for us was the storyline of the game,” Miller said.

Souley Boum had 17 while Jack Nunge had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier (20-8, 12-5), which lost for the third time in four games.

Villanova (14-14, 8-9), in the midst of their most difficult stretch of the Big East schedule, rebounded from a loss at No. 24 Providence Saturday to record its most impressive win. Xavier suffered just its second home loss of the season and its first in Big East play this season.

The Wildcats, a longshot for NCAA tournament consideration after reaching the Final Four last year, host Creighton on Saturday, play at Seton Hall on Feb. 28 and finish the regular season at home vs. Connecticut March 4.

Adam Kunkel appeared to tie the game with a layup with 2:31 left but was called for traveling. Moore responded with a 3-pointer with 2:05 left for a 64-59 Villanova lead.

Villanova committed traveling turnovers on their next two possessions and Xavier had a chance to win as Boum drove the lane for a layup but was denied at the basket.

“I don’t think you want the last shot to be a shot where you beg for a foul,” Miller said. “It’s got to be a strong drive or pass and I thought we kind of drove and begged for a foul. The combination of Jack and Souley have worked really well. When you can get a downhill drive, we saw it against Marquette. They had a player drive the ball and miss it (but) tip it in. You win or lose on a second shot. Villanova blocked out. There was no second shot.”

Give a blueblood like Villanova, coming off its third Final Four in six seasons, some life, and they’ll snatch that lifeline with authority. They’ve been deep into the dance with players like Moore, Caleb Daniels and Eric Dixon. They didn’t exactly close it out Tuesday night but Xavier couldn’t make them pay.

“It’s easy to focus on the last play,” Miller continued. “The more realistic assessment of the game is you can’t play Villanova at home in late February, turn the ball over about 10 times in 17 minutes and allow them to score 19 points off your turnovers and expect to win. We did some good things. I thought our effort was good. But that’s not how we’re going to be able to win.”

Villanova appeared to have captured momentum heading into halftime when Jordan Longino drove to the basket for a layup with 12 seconds remaining in the half. With Villanova applying pressure and the clock winding down, Boum was struggling to get enough space to get a shot off.

He eventually stepped back to just inside the midcourt timeline and drained a three as time expired to give Xavier a 36-30 lead heading to the locker room. The triple gave Boum 12 points at the break to go along with four rebounds.

Xavier scored the first four points for a 40-30 lead, resulting in a Villanova timeout just a minute, 47 seconds into the half.

But mirroring their second half at Providence just three days earlier, Villanova managed a rally with a 9-2 run. Villanova had three straight possessions to draw closer or tie the game but missed a layup, a three and committed a turnover.

With the shot clock running down, Moore gave Villanova a 52-50 lead with a layup with 8:45 remaining. Eric Dixon followed with a layup on the next possession to build the lead to four.

Desmond Claude returned from a two-game absence and scored six points off the Xavier bench.

Xavier needs to right the ship quickly as they head to Newark, New Jersey to take on Seton Hall Friday night at the Prudential Center.