Xavier and Villanova went back and forth through the first four minutes, with neither team leading by more than a basket. The Musketeers used their size to their advantage, getting all eight of their points in paint. Villanova kept pace by hitting two, three-pointers.
A 10-0 run for Villanova put them up 16-8, but Xavier fought back and trimmed the deficit to three, 21-18 with 10:09 remaining in the first half. Villanova were able to regain momentum after the timeout, and led 28-20 with 7:17 until the end of the first half.
Xavier was able to make it a two-point game, 29-27, but a 7-2 run from Villanova allowed them to maintain breathing room with 2:19 left in the first half.