VILLANOVA, Pa. -- — Eric Dixon's 34 points led Villanova over Butler 80-70 on Saturday.

Dixon also contributed seven rebounds for the Wildcats (18-12, 11-8 Big East Conference). Jordan Longino scored 14 points, going 4 of 8 (4 for 6 from 3-point range). Wooga Poplar shot 4 for 16, including 2 for 10 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points.

Finley Bizjack helped lead the way for the Bulldogs (13-16, 6-12) with 16 points and four assists. Jahmyl Telfort added 16 points and two blocks for Butler. Pierre Brooks had 14 points and seven rebounds.

Led by 16 first-half points from Dixon, Villanova carried a 43-35 lead into the break. Villanova used a 15-3 run in the second half to build a 13-point lead at 68-55 with 7:52 left in the half.

NEXT UP

Villanova's next game is Tuesday against Georgetown on the road, and Butler hosts Xavier on Wednesday.

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