Dixon, Moore lead Villanova over Texas Tech 85-69 in 1st round of Battle 4 Atlantis

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T.J. Bamba posterizes defender on aggressive two-handed jam

T.J. Bamba crashes to the rim and throws down a vicious dunk for Villanova.

Updated: Nov 22, 2023, 10:16 pm

NASSAU, Bahamas -- — Eric Dixon scored 19 points, Justin Moore added 18 and Villanova beat Texas Tech 85-69 on Wednesday at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Villanova (4-1) will take on No. 14 North Carolina in a semifinal Thursday while the Red Raiders (4-0) will face Northern Iowa in the consolation bracket.

Pop Isaacs scored 16 points, Joe Toussaint 15 and Devan Cambridge 11 for Texas Tech.

Villanova took the lead for good a little over halfway through the first half, led by eight at halftime then fended off the Red Raiders, who were within single digits with seven minutes remaining. That's when Moore hit a long 3-pointer and the Wildcats went on to extend their lead to 17 with 2:11 remaining.

Texas Tech made 14 of 36 3-point attempts, one more make than they had total in their previous three games to open the season (13 of 63). But the Wildcats, with nine 3s of their own, were 26 of 32 at the line, had 15 points off 15 Texas Tech turnovers and outscored the Red Raiders 26-14 in the paint.

After Villanova enlarged its lead to 56-44 in the second half, the teams exchanged rallies. Tech ran off nine straight points to get within three — the closest the Red Raiders had been since 8 1/2 minutes left in the first half. The Wildcats responded with seven consecutive to again lead by double figures midway through the second half with Bamba throwing down a thunderous dunk seconds later to lead by 10 with nine minutes remaining.

Villanova went into halftime leading 41-33. The Wildcats took the lead for good with just under nine minutes left when Brendan Hausen made a pair of free throws after Cambridge was called for a flagrant foul. The free throws were part of an 18-3 run during which Dixon and Moore hit 3-pointers. Tech cut that 11-point deficit to five before Dixon hit a 3-pointer in the final minute.

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