Olivari scores 14 in Xavier's 56-53 win over Villanova

Published Feb. 7, 2024 9:51 p.m. ET

CINCINNATI (AP) — Quincy Olivari's 14 points helped Xavier defeat Villanova 56-53 on Wednesday night.

Dailyn Swain threw down a dunk with 4:18 left to break a tie at 50 and Xavier led the rest of the way.

Olivari also contributed eight rebounds for the Musketeers (13-10, 7-5 Big East Conference). Desmond Claude scored 11 points while going 5 of 14 (1 for 7 from 3-point range), and added six rebounds and six assists. Dayvion McKnight had nine points and was 4 of 13 shooting (1 for 4 from 3-point range).

Brendan Hausen led the way for the Wildcats (12-11, 5-7) with 15 points. Eric Dixon added 13 points for Villanova. Hakim Hart also had seven points and two steals.

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Olivari scored nine points in the first half and Xavier went into the break trailing 28-26. Xavier used a 9-0 second-half run to come back from a two-point deficit and take the lead at 42-35 with 10:34 left.

Xavier plays Saturday against Creighton at home, and Villanova hosts Seton Hall on Sunday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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