Final Score: No. 10 Marquette 87, Villanova 74
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Overview
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No. 10 Marquette clamped down defensively to establish a first half lead over Villanova and then held off a series of comeback bids from Villanova to post an 87-74 victory on Friday night at Fiserv Forum.
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Senior guard
Jordan Longino posted a new career high for the Wildcats, delivering 27 points and five assists with just one turnover. Marquette had four players in double figures, with Stevie Mitchell making a major impact with 21 points and three steals while Kam Jones contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
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Eric Dixon added 18 points and nine rebounds, though he was dogged by a collection of Golden Eagles defenders for much of the evening.
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"A lot of credit goes to Marquette," said Villanova head coach
Kyle Neptune. "They played extremely hard, forced us into some turnovers and got out into transition. I thought they did everything they wanted to do."
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Defense Dominates Early
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A steal and 3-pointer by Stevie Mitchell erased an early Villanova lead and put the Golden Eagles on top 10-8 after the first 5:34 of this one. The Wildcats limited Marquette to 4-of-10 shooting in that span but were hindered by a 3-of-9 effort at the other end of the floor. A Royce Parham triple pushed the lead to 13-8 and it was a 15-10 edge for MU at the second official timeout of the half.
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Nine of Nova's first 12 attempts from the field were from beyond the arc (two converted).
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The Wildcats' defense was solid, but they were unable to get untracked at the offensive end. They sank 5-of-20 attempts over the first 12:08 and trailed 20-12.
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Dixon Draws Foul No. 2
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In a short span the nation's leading scorer, Dixon, picked up two fouls, the second at the offensive end. The Golden Eagles held a 25-17 advantage at that point and 5:27 remained in the period.
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"I didn't want him to pick up that third foul," Neptune said when asked if he considered bringing Dixon back. "I thought we were still within range."
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Thanks in large part to the work of
Jordan Longino – 13 first half points – the Wildcats hung tough without their top scorer. A corner 3-pointer just before halftime gave the Golden Eagles a 36-26 lead at the break.
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Kam Jones and Mitchell led a balanced Marquette attack with seven points each.
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In one respect, the difference in the first 20 minutes came down to one column on the stat sheet. Thanks to eight forced turnovers, Marquette held a 10-0 edge in points off of turnovers.
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Second Stanza
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A pair of
Wooga Poplar free throws helped Nova shave its deficit to 41-35 nearly four minutes into the period before a Royce Parham put-back basket pushed the margin to 43-35 after 4:44 of the second half.
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Jones scored five points in the first 5:13 of the period, helping Marquette kick its offense into gear. The Wildcats answered with a 3-pointer from Brickus and a two-pointer from Longino but Marquette was just as proficient at notching points. The Golden Eagles held a 49-41 lead with 12:16 left in the game.
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When
Tyler Perkins dropped in a 3-pointer, the Wildcats were within 56-49. But Chase Ross was fouled on a drive on the next possession, sank one of two at the line, and the lead was 57-49 at the 9:28 mark of the second half. When Longino sank two from the stripe, the lead was down to 57-51. But Zaide Lowery sank a 3-pointer after Marquette grabbed an offensive rebound and the lead was back to 60-51.
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Closing Moments
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The Golden Eagles expanded their lead to 70-57, forcing a Wildcats timeout with 5:37 remaining in the game. A 10-4 spurt over just over two minutes stretched the margin past the 10 point advantage Marquette held at halftime. A Dixon triple off a set play, brought Nova back to within 70-60. But after a defensive stop, Marquette forced Nova's 12
th turnover of the night.
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A Jones basket made it 72-60 and the Golden Eagles went on to close out the victory, their 17
th of 2024-25.
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What They Said
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Neptune on Marquette's ability to slow Dixon over the game's first 35 minutes: "They did a good job of doing what they do. They attacked him, were physical with him in the post, took away space and were aggressive. I thought they set the tone that way."
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Up Next
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The Wildcats have a bye next week and won't return to action until Saturday, Feb. 1, when they host Creighton at the Wells Fargo Center at 1 p.m. (Fox and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart).
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