Milestones, and Impact as the Wildcats Win 80 – 70 Over the Bulldogs
VILLANOVA, PA 3/1/2025 –
The final home game of the regular season for the Villanova Wildcats. Wildcats forward Eric Dixon moved up on the all-time scoring list in program history. The team climbed towards fifth place in the Big East, and it was Senior Day. Many positives for Villanova in their 80 – 70 victory against the Butler Bulldogs at the Finneran Pavilion.
More Milestones for Eric Dixon
Dixon scored a game-high 34 points giving him 2,184 career points. He moved past Keith Herron on the scoring list. Only Kerry Kittles (2,243) and Scottie Reynolds (2,222) scored more points in a Villanova uniform. This is the 156th game Dixon has played for Nova which ties him with Collin Gillespie for most games played.
“Coming in as a freshman, always knew his talent, knew his ability,” Villanova guard Jordan Longino said about his teammate Dixon. “These past three, four years I’ve been with him, which has been inspiring. It’s amazing to see him flourish as a true player and person.”
Impact of the Win
Villanova has an 11 – 8 league record and could move into fifth place if Xavier loses for Creighton. If not, the Cats stay in sixth. Fifth place means that Nova can move directly into the second round of the Big East Tournament. More basketball needs to be played before anything is definite. Villanova has a game at Georgetown and Xavier has two games remaining after today against Butler and Providence. The Wildcats are not looking too far ahead.
“We have one game seasons from here on out in our minds,” said Villanova Coach Kyle Neptune. “Standings, none of that stuff matters to us. We’re thinking we have another game in a couple of days. That’s our biggest game of the year. Beyond that doesn’t matter. Before that doesn’t matter. It’s just for everybody this time of year.”
How the Wildcats Got It Done
The Cats started quickly and went ahead by double digits at 16 – 6 six minutes into the game. The advantage increased to 43 – 32 at halftime. Butler made a run and tied the game at 45 on a three-pointer by Patrick McCaffery. Villanova steadied the ship and a 8 – 0 run gave the Cats a 61 – 52 lead to weather the storm.
“We grinded defensively,” said Neptune. “They had spurts where they were scoring, but there were times we really shut them down.”
What the Numbers Say
Dixon made 14 of 21 shots and went 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. He added 7 rebounds and handed out 3 assists. Jordan Longino added 14 points sinking half of his 8 shots, all four from three-point land. Wooga Poplar contributed 12 points and grabbed 9 boards while Enoch Boakye had 10 points. Nova shot 50.8% (30 of 59) from the floor compared to 40% (26 of 65) for Butler.
Three Bulldogs scored in double digits with Finley Bizjack and Jahmyl Telfort leading the way with 16 points. Pierre Brooks contributed 14 points.
Senior Day
Prior to the game Villanova celebrated the members of its senior class. The celebrated players were; team co-captain Jordan Longino, Colin O’Toole, Nnanna Njoku, and transfers Enoch Boakye and Wooga Poplar.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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