Turnovers cost No. 16 Xavier in loss to Villanova

Xavier's men's basketball team was in control on Tuesday night at home against Villanova until a barrage of unforced turnovers became the storyline.

The Musketeers committed four turnovers in the first half and 10 in the second half.

Villanova scored 19 points off those turnovers and walked away with a 64-63 win. The Musketeers scored two points off Villanova's seven turnovers.

The loss snaps Xavier's unbeaten streak at home in Big East Conference play.

"Our turnovers in the second half, it overwhelmed us," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. "In the first 20 minutes I thought we did a lot of great things on offense. Number one, we had only four turnovers. But in the second half, the 10 turnovers, the timeliness of the turnovers, the types of turnovers and ... turnovers sometimes lead to fast-break points and Villanova's not a team that's trying to turn you over. They were very unforced. Remeinded me of the first half of the Butler game. I really think that was the difference in the game."

Miller appreciated his team's effort and how they fought from start to finish. He also thought Xavier's defense was good enough to win.

"Down the stretch, even the last eight minutes, when we needed big stops, we got them. But our offense was ... we scored 27 points (in the second half) and 10 different times we weren't able to get a shot," said Miller.

"In late February, playing these types of games, you start to have unforced turnovers, it doesn't go well. That second half for us was the storyline of the game."

Justin Moore, Villanova's star who recently returned from a torn Achilles, was a difference maker with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

Despite the costly turnovers, Xavier had a chance to win in the closing seconds.

With Villanova ahead 64-63, the Wildcats turned the ball over at the end of the shot clock with 11 seconds left in the game.

Out of timeouts, Xavier's Souley Boum brought the ball up the floor and the Musketeers ran a screen with Jack Nunge to try and get Boum downhill to the rim while Nunge popped out to the perimeter for a potential shot.

Boum decided to keep the ball, raced down the left side of the lane and tried to finish over Villanova big man, Eric Dixon.

Boum's shot hit off the side of the backboard and Villanova pounced on the rebound.

"I don't think you want the last shot to be a shot that you beg for a foul. It's gotta be a strong drive or a pass," Miller said. "I thought we just kind of drove and begged for a foul. The combination of Jack and Souley has worked really well. When you can get a downhill drive, we saw it against Marquette, right? You had a player drive the ball, miss it and tip it in. A lot of times on the last play you win or lose by a second shot. Villanova blocked out. There was no second shot.

"I think it's easy to focus on the last play. The more realistic assessment of the game is you can't play Villanova at home in late February, turn the ball over 10 times in about 17 minutes, allow them to score 19 points off your turnovers and expect to win."

There was a costly call that went against Xavier with 2:35 left in the game. After the Musketeers cut the deficit to 61-59, Xavier forced a Villanova turnover and at the other end of the floor, the Musketeers got the ball in transition to Adam Kunkel on the baseline.

Kunkel shuffled his feet as he started his dribble, then proceeded to finish through contact, made the basket and the lead official on the baseline called a foul on the play, which would have sent Kunkel to the line with a chance to put his team ahead, 62-61.

But the trail official overruled the lead official and called a travel, negating the made basket and the foul.

Instead of Kunkel heading to the line, Villanova got the ball and Moore buried a 3-pointer at the other end to make it a 64-59 game.

"You don't see a trail official make a travel call on an and-one basket," MIller said. "It was a foul and it was an and-one. It was a two-on-one. But that's the call he made. Sometimes the call goes your way. Sometimes it doesn't. We'll live with it and move to another day."

With the loss, Xavier falls to 20-8 overall and 12-5 in the conference.

Boum led Xavier with 17 points. Jerome Hunter had 14. Nunge had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kunkel finished with 10 points.

This was another game where Xavier's lack of depth "played a role in tonight's game," said Miller. "Now did that play a role in us having 10 turnovers in the second half? No."

The Musketeers have to regroup because their next two games both come on the road, Friday at Seton Hall and next Wednesday at Providence.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East basketball: Turnovers cost Xavier in loss to Villanova