CINCINNATI -- Myles Davis came to Xavier with the reputation of being a dead-eye perimeter shooter. The junior guard has since improved in every facet.

On Wednesday night, he did it all.

Davis recorded Xavier's first triple-double in four years, and guard Trevon Bluiett had a team-leading 23 points, lifting the 8th-ranked Musketeers to an 85-74 victory over the No. 23 Providence Friars at Cintas Center.

With star freshman guard Edmond Sumner out with an apparent knee injury early in the second half, Davis shifted to point guard and finished with 11 points and career highs with 12 assists and 12 rebounds.

"He makes us a much better team," coach Chris Mack said of Davis. "He's come light years as a defender. He's probably overlooked by a lot of people. He doesn't wow you with his athleticism. He's much more than a shooter."

Sumner, who finished with 11 points before leaving with 17 minutes left, was cleared by doctors to return. But, Mack decided otherwise.

"When you sit out 20 real minutes ... it's hard to go from being in a training room to going back out there in a game like this," Mack said. "I thought we were playing well for the most part, so we opted not to put him back in the game."

Xavier (23-3, 11-3 Big East) played one of its better first halves of the season with 13 assists on 17 field goals and led by as many as 18 points.

Guard Kris Dunn led Providence (19-8, 7-7 Big East) with 23 points. Forward Ben Bentil fouled out with 2:25 left in the game after scoring 17 points.

Xavier led by as many as 21 points on Wednesday but the Friars fought back to cut the deficit to six points on a couple occasions.

After scoring 52 points in the first half, Xavier missed five of its first six shots to begin the second half.

In the meantime, the Friars went on a 10-2 run capped by guard Ryan Fazekas' 3-pointer to cut their deficit to 54-47.

The Musketeers made do without Sumner, mostly courtesy of Davis, who had three assists and four points in six minutes helping the Musketeers go on a 10-0 run to regain control.

"I wasn't making any shots tonight," said Davis, who was 1-for-4 from 3-point range. "The great part about this team is that if one guy goes down, the next guy steps up."

Xavier led 69-49 with 9:29 left then shifted to cruise control.

Dunn and the Friars went on a 12-2 run over the next six minutes.

Providence guard Kyron Cartwright's 3-pointer made the score 72-66 with 3:40 remaining.

"We wanted to keep our same attacking mindset on offense, but quick shots got their team back in the game," Mack said. "It had a little bit of an eerie feeling, but our guys did what they had to do. I loved our response down the stretch."

Xavier jumped out to a 7-0 lead in their victory at then-No. 10 Providence in January, and the Musketeers began Wednesday's game in similar fashion.

An early 9-0 run highlighted by a pair of dunks by forward Jalen Reynolds gave Xavier a 9-2 lead.

The Musketeers' 1-3-1 zone defense produced immediate results, helping spark a 10-0 run capped by guard J.P. Macura's nifty reverse layup in transition, making the score 24-10.

"They play with a toughness, a grittiness," Dunn said. "They came out fired up and punched us in the mouth."

Bluiett led all scorers in the first half with 17 points and was 3 of 4 from three-point range, helping the Musketeers build a 52-37 halftime lead.

"You can't spot a very good team a double-digit lead," said Friars coach Ed Cooley. "We didn't have the fight early to set the tone. I'm proud of how our guys fought back."

Providence, which has struggled to find a third option to support Bentil and Dunn, had a 13-2 record coming into the game when forward Rodney Bullock scored in double figures. He had 11 points by halftime and finished with 13.

But, the night belonged to Davis.

"It's something you try to knock off your bucket list as a basketball player," said Davis of his triple-double. "It's one of those things you try not to pay attention to (when it got close). I can rebound as well as any of the bigs. I'm just not 6-10. So, I'm proud of that."

NOTES: The last Xavier player to record a triple-double was G Tu Holloway on Feb. 19, 2011, when he had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists vs. Fordham. ... The 52 first-half points scored by the Musketeers were the most allowed in any half this season by Providence. ... Xavier improved to 21-0 this season when leading at halftime and 21-0 when shooting at least 40 percent. ... Providence remained one victory shy of reaching 20 wins for a third consecutive season for the first time since the 1970s. ... The Friars now have seven days off before playing at Seton Hall on Feb. 25.