Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Marquette 85, Villanova 80
 
Overview: Marquette (16-5 overall, 7-3 BIG EAST) was on point offensively at the opening tip and burst out to an 11-0 lead before the Wildcats were able to get in the scoring column on an Eric Dixon bucket.
 
Villanova (11-10 overall, 4-6 BIG EAST) would stage a furious comeback over the final minutes of the first half and early minutes of the second. It was a 31-10 surge that put the Wildcats in front 51-47 four minutes into the second half.
 
But 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year Tyler Kolek scored nine straight points, part of a 32-point, nine assist effort, that vaulted the Golden Eagles back on top. Villanova never regained the lead, ultimately falling 85-80.
 
Marquette's Fast Start: The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 lead after 4:04 of action, converting 4-of-5 field goals in that span. The lead grew to 15-2 at the 14:29 mark of the first period.
 
Indeed, Marquette's offensive efficiency was the story of the first 10 minutes of the period. It connected on 10-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. Meanwhile, the Wildcats were just 4-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-4 from long range. It added up to a 23-9 Marquette lead with 10:37 to play in the first half.
 
"I thought Marquette came out and really set the tone from the start," noted Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They played extremely hard and then made some crucial, crucial plays down the stretch to seal the deal."
 
Kolek did much of the damage for Marquette, scoring 13 points in the game's first 12:55, extending the lead to 30-13.
 
"We just couldn't get stops to start the game," Neptune said. "We couldn't get rebounds, couldn't keep them out of the paint."
 
A 7-0 run by Villanova was capped by a Mark Armstrong drive that closed the Nova deficit to 37-24 with 3:10 on the first half clock. A short jumper by Brendan Hausen shrank the deficit to 37-26. Another Armstrong drive for a basket cut the lead to 37-28 with just over a minute left in the period.
 
When Armstrong drained a 3-pointer just before the halftime horn, the Wildcats were back to within 39-31.
 
Bamba paced the 'Cats with 12 first half points. Marquette connected on 16-of-28 in the period (.571) with Kolek setting the scoring
 
After Intermission: The offense the Wildcats struggled with in the opening minutes of the first half asserted itself early in the second half. Triples by Bamba, Justin Moore and Tyler Burton fueled a 9-0 spurt that brought Villanova to within 47-46 after 4:09 of the second half.
 
When Dixon scored a short while later, VU had its first lead of the night, 48-47. A Burton 3-pointer made it 51-47 but the Golden Eagles ran off a 9-0 spurt, with Kolek sinking consecutive 3-pointers to retake the lead at 56-51.
 
Marquette connected on 5-of-6 from the field at one point to extend the margin to 67-60 as the clock ticked towards the seven minute mark of the period. The Wildcats got to within 72-67 when Dixon sank two free throws with 5:17 on the clock. Two more from Dixon at the line made it 72-69 before the Golden Eagles added one of two free throws.
 
Marquette led 73-69 with 3:36 left in the contest. But the Wildcats' couldn't convert on their next offensive possession and committed a foul at the other end. A pair of free throws gave the Golden Eagles a 75-69 lead with 2:57 left.
 
Villanova closed to within 81-78 on a long 3-pointer with 32.5 seconds remaining but Kolek was fouled on the next possession and drained both free throws.
 
What They Said: Neptune on the recent stretch of five straight losses – three to teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25: "We've just got to get it together as a unit and change it. It's all the little things. It's not like one thing is going to change it. It's not just 'hand on the ball' that's going to change it. Or if we just rebound better, that will change it.
 
"It's literally everything. We've got to play harder, be more locked into the scouting report. We've just got to do what we do better."