USC held a 31-27 lead at halftime and built that up to a 12-point advantage less than five minutes into the second half. Then Dixon woke up. He was responsible for 14 of Villanova's points during a 16-2 run in the middle of the half, giving the Wildcats a 45-43 lead.

Eric Dixon scores 24 of his 28 points in the second half, including the go-ahead free throw with 18 seconds remaining, and Desmond Claude’s layup rims out in the final seconds as the Wildcats