Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Marquette 87, Wildcats 74
 
What They Said: "Hats off to Marquette," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They were excellent offensively tonight. We just could not get stops throughout the game. There is just no other explanation.
 
"They scored at the rim at an alarming rate. They hadn't been making shots but they scored at way too high a rate today. At halftime, I think there were 17-of-20 from two. Any time you score at that rate in a half, it gives you a pretty good shot."
 
On the afternoon, Marquette enjoyed a 60-18 edge in points in the paint.
 
Another New Plateau: For the third consecutive contest, sophomore guard Mark Armstrong (South Orange, N.J.) tallied a new career-high in points (24). In his last three outings the guard has averaged 17.6 points per game.
 
Classmate Brendan Hausen added 11 points, continuing his upward trend of late as well. Eric Dixon contributed 15 points.
 
On Target: Both teams were sharp from the field in the first 5:02 of this one. Marquette drained 6-of-9 from the floor in that stretch while Nova was 5-of-7, including 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. It added up to an early 13-12 edge for the Wildcats.
 
That pace continued with the Golden Eagles' Kam Jones helping Marquette grab a 21-19 lead. Quality offense from the Wildcats – who sank 7-of-12 from the floor over the first 8:30 of the period – helped keep matters close, even as MU was 10-of-13 from field , with five assists and zero turnoves.
 
Marquette's offense remained in a good flow as Jones aand Oso Ighodaro were a combined 10-of-11 from the field but Villanova hung tough. When Armstrong dropped in an open 3-pointer, the 'Cats were on top, 30-27, with 7:22 left in the first half.
 
Burst by Marquette: After Armstrong's second 3-pointer pushed the Villanova lead to 33-27, the Golden Eagles used a 14-2 spurt to grab a 41-35 advantage with 2:18 to play in the first half. At that point, Villanova trailed despite converting 8-of-15 from beyond the arc (.533).
 
Armstrong's third triple of the period helped pull VU to within 41-40 with 22.9 seconds on the first half clock with possession of the basketball. But a partially blocked shot led to a run-out that the Golden Eagles' Tyler Kolek finished with a left-handed layup just before the horn sounded.
 
Kolek, the 2022-23 BIG EAST Player of the Year, finished with 21 points, 11 assists and two turnovers.
 
Marquette led 43-40 at intermission.
 
Paint Prowess vs Distance Dialing: The halftime stat sheet revealed two very different paths to points. The Golden Eagles enjoyed a 34-8 edge in points in the paint, converting 17-of-20 from inside the arc over the first 20 minutes. On 3-pointers, though, Marquette was just 3-of-12 (.250).
 
In contrast, the 'Cats were 9-of-18 from long range (.500) but just 5-of-11 from inside it. Every Wildcat who logged first half minutes scored, led by Armstrong (nine points to go with a pair of assists). Justin Moore, in his second game back after missing five weeks with a knee sprain, added eight points.
 
Second Act: A 7-0 run over the first 2:17 of the second half allowed Marquette to extend its lead to 50-40. The Wildcats did not attempt a shot in that stretch, victimized instead by four turnovers in the opening three minutes of the half.
 
A TJ Bamba basket gave the 'Cats their first points of the half. A long Hausen triple and some low post points from Dixon helped Villanova get back to within 55-51. When Dixon drained a corner ball off an inbounds play, the contest was deadlocked at 57 at the midway point of the half.
 
Marquette, though, scored the next six points with Kolek threading the needle with his passing (seven assists on the day) disruptive defense. The Golden Eagles led 63-57 with 7:09 left in the contest. Buckets on their next two possessions sandwiched around a pair of VU turnovers made it 67-57 as the clock dipped below the six minute mark.
 
Armstrong's offense kept the 'Cats clawing but Marquette's offensive efficiency was a challenge to contain. The Golden Eagles were up 74-66 as the clock slipped below the three-minute mark. Over the final 10 minutes, Marquette outscored Villanova 30-17.
 
The final count was 87-74.