Box Score MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The first 10 minutes of Wednesday night's game at Marquette (5-5 overall, 1-3 BIG EAST) were a defensive challenge for No. 5/3 Villanova (8-1 overall, 3-0 BIG EAST) as the Golden Eagles drained 8-of-10 field goal attempts to open the BIG EAST game. But the Wildcats were terrific the rest of the way at that end of the floor and that effort helped power them to an 85-68 victory at Fiserv Forum.
 
"I thought we started the game off not really aggressive defensively," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "But I thought we became more aggressive later in the first half defensively. We were able to carry that over into the second half."

"Our defense fuels our offense," noted sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
 
Senior Collin Gillespie led a balanced Nova attack, scoring 22 points. Robinson-Earl added 13 points and seven rebounds while junior Brandon Slater gave the 'Cats a lift off the bench, contributing 10 points and three rebounds.
 
"Those guys do a great job," noted Gillespie of Slater and classmate Cole Swider, who also made his presence felt as a reserve. "They are older guys in the program who really understand what Villanova Basketball is all about."
 
Marquette dropped in 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the game's opening 5:16 to build an early 16-11 advantage. At the other end, though, Gillespie did his own stellar work from deep, delivering consecutive 3-pointers to help Nova grab a 17-16 lead.
 
"I was just playing off my jump shot," stated Gillespie. "I was just catching to shoot and my teammates were able to find me."
 
The firepower of the game's early minutes gave way to more tenacious defense in the final 10 minutes of the period. Marquette used a 2-3 zone to slow the 'Cats while Villanova relied on a switching man-to-man approach that helped cool the Golden Eagles from the field. Nova forced nine Marquette turnovers in the first half while only committing two themselves. They would end the night with just four.
 
It all added up to a 36-30 halftime advantage for the Wildcats. Gillespie's 14 points paced the Wildcats in the first half while backcourt partner Justin Moore added 11 points. Jamal Cain led the Golden Eagles with 12 points.
 
After an early 3-pointer by the Golden Eagles to open the second half scoring, Villanova used a 10-1 burst keyed by Gillespie to extend their advantage to 46-34. A Swider 3-pointer off a feed from Jermaine Samuels capped that stretch at the 16:42 mark of the second half.
 
From that surge came a gradual separation as a balanced offensive attack was augmented by stifling defense. Robinson-Earl joined in the scoring fun and junior Brandon Slater added five points to go with strong defensive work.
 
With 3:45 to play, the Wildcats held a 75-52 lead over the Golden Eagles. The final count was 85-68.
 
Villanova forced 17 Marquette turnovers which created an 18-3 advantage in points off of turnovers. After the sizzling start, the Golden Eagles sank just 18-of 41 from the field the rest of the way.
 
"That was a really good second half defensive effort," stated Wright. "I really don't have an answer for why we started slowly. We were more connected later in the first half and then into the second half.
 
"It was a lot different playing here without fans. They usually have 20,000 people in here and not having that was an advantage for us."
 
Villanova next takes a break for Christmas, with plans for team family members to visit campus for the holiday. Its next game action is slated for Saturday, Jan. 2, at Xavier in a game that will be televised on FS1 and be heard on 95.7 Ben FM and the TuneIn app everywhere. Game time is 2 p.m.