Eric Dixon drained back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second half and scored a game-high 31 points to lead host Villanova to a 68-60 upset of No. 14 Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Dixon recorded his third 30-point game of the campaign for Villanova (5-4), which won consecutive games for the first time this season. The Wildcats blew out Rider 72-48 last Wednesday ahead of their meeting with Cincinnati.

Wooga Poplar added 12 points and 10 rebounds while Jhamir Brickus chipped in 13 points and nine assists for Villanova. Enoch Boakye had four of the Wildcats’ six blocks.

Jizzle James led the Bearcats (6-1) with 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Simas Lukosius added 13 points.

Cincinnati drew within 55-49 when Day Day Thomas knocked down 1 of 2 free throws with 3:54 left in the game. But Dixon nailed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Villanova a 61-49 lead with 2:53 remaining.

Villanova built a 24-13 lead just over 12 minutes into the first half thanks to smothering defense. The Bearcats managed to shoot just 41.9 percent from the field and were a mere 2-for-9 on 3-pointers before intermission.

Trailing 28-19, Cincinnati put together a 9-4 spurt before Brickus drained a long trey at the first-half buzzer to give Villanova a 37-28 lead at the break.

Cincinnati didn’t attempt a free throw until Lukosius sank a pair with 13:43 remaining in the second half. The Bearcats were held to a season-low 38.3 percent from the field for the game, while Villanova finished at 48.9 percent.

Cincinnati went 6-for-11 from the free-throw line, while Villanova went 14-for-17.

The Wildcats held the lead for almost 37 minutes. They will face area-rival Temple on Saturday in the Big 5 Classic in Philadelphia. Cincinnati returns home on Sunday to meet Howard.

–Field Level Media