Eric Dixon scored 22 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Villanova history, guiding the Wildcats past Colorado 85-64 on Tuesday in the first round of the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.

Dixon passed Kerry Kittles (2,243 points) late in the first half and now has 2,257 career points for the Wildcats. Wooga Poplar scored a team-high 24 points and Jordan Longino chipped in 13 points for Villanova (20-14), which played under interim coach Mike Nardi after dismissing Kyle Neptune last month.

The Wildcats next will face Southern California, which routed Tulane 89-60 later on Tuesday.

Elijah Malone collected 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Buffaloes (14-21), who struggled with their shooting from the field (39.7 percent), the 3-point arc (7-of-25) and the foul line (7-of-13). Thirteen turnovers didn’t help matters.

Villanova led by four near the midway point of the first half before Jhamir Brickus’ 3-pointer ignited a 9-0 run that created a 27-14 advantage. In fact, all of the Wildcats’ points during that surge came from beyond the arc, as Tyler Perkins and Dixon followed Brickus’ 3-pointer with one of their own.

Colorado responded with eight of the next 10 points, but Villanova quickly regained control.

The Wildcats embarked on a 13-0 run, including eight points by Poplar. Brickus put an exclamation point on the surge with a 3-pointer with 2:40 left in the half, giving Villanova a commanding 42-22 advantage.

The Buffaloes made a dent into their deficit, clawing within 45-30 at the break.

Colorado trailed by a similar margin (52-38) about 6 1/2 minutes into the second half, but Villanova racked up 10 straight points to open a 24-point cushion.

Shortly thereafter, the lead reached 25 for the first time on Perkins’ 3-pointer. The Wildcats led by as many as 29 points down the stretch.

–Field Level Media