VILLANOVA, Pa.—Playing on its home court for the second time in a span of 48 hours, Villanova (9-3, 4-3 BIG EAST) fell by a final score of 95-77 to Marquette (10-2, 7-1 BIG EAST) at Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday evening. Senior forward Brianna Herlihy and sophomore Maddy Siegrist each scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats, who put three players in double figures on the evening. Senior forward Sarah Mortensen chipped in 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
 
The matchup between teams who each entered the night with a 9-2 record came about only in the last 72 hours due to recent scheduling changes. Villanova and the Golden Eagles have been among the stronger offensive teams in the BIG EAST this season, and their first head-to-head tilt of the year did not disappoint from that perspective. The teams combined for 65 field goals on the night, with each side hitting 10 three-pointers.
 
Despite the final margin, the game featured its share of back-and-forth runs as the Wildcats heated up from the floor in the second and fourth periods. Villanova shot 56 percent (9-of-16) from the field in the second period and closed out the game by making 64 percent (9-of-14) of its shots in the final quarter. In those two periods combined the Wildcats were 7-of-15 from three-point range and outscored Marquette in each quarter.
 
Mortensen scored seven of her 13 points in a span of three minutes during the second period when Villanova cut a 12-point deficit in half and pulled to within 36-30 with 3:37 to play before halftime. After the Golden Eagles counted with another basket, a three-point play by Siegrist trimmed the margin to 38-33 with 3:08 remaining before intermission. That was as close as the Wildcats could get the rest of the way however, and Marquette eventually took a 50-39 halftime lead.
 
Junior guard Sam Carangi came off the bench to play a season-high 27 minutes and dish out a career-high nine assists while directing the Villanova offense. Her previous career high of four assists also came this season in a win over St. John's last month. Carangi also had a highlight-reel three-pointer at the end of the second quarter when she saved the ball from going out of bounds along the sideline and heaved an off-balance shot from just inside half court which banked in for one of her two three-pointers on the night.
 
A late run by the Wildcats once again cut into what could have been a larger final margin. Villanova went on an 11-0 run in just 2:24 in the fourth quarter, with Siegrist and Herlihy each scoring four points during that stretch. A three-pointer by Herlihy capped the run and pulled the Wildcats to within 14 points (84-70) with 5:32 to play, while sophomore guard Brooke Mullin also hit a three-pointer during the run.
 
Marquette was led in scoring by Selena Lott, who registered a double-double with 27 points and 11 assists. All five Golden Eagles starters scored in double figures.
 
Villanova returns to action on Sunday afternoon for a 12 p.m. tip at Butler.
 
NOTES: The trio of Siegrist, Herlihy and Mortensen combined to score more than 50 points for the fourth straight game and the seventh time this season … Freshman guard Bella Runyan scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, while Mullin added six points and five rebounds for the Wildcats … Villanova was credited with an assist on 20 of its 28 made field goals and turned the ball over a season-low nine times … The 10 three-pointers marked the third time this year the Wildcats have reached double digits in triples.