Overview
 
Villanova held off a spirited rally from Marquette to collect its third straight BIG EAST road victory 76-73 Saturday afternoon at Fiserv Forum. Matt Hodge and Tyler Perkins sank key baskets in the final two minutes while Acaden Lewis authored another brilliant performance, finishing with 20 points and eight assists, including the helper that led to Perkins' bucket with 11 seconds to play.
 
"We've really developed a road identity, which is great," stated head coach Kevin Willard. "I think we need to take that identity and bring it home. We need to have that same kind of dog mentality that we have on the road at home. If we can develop that same attitude we'll continue to get better."
 
Villanova overcame the loss of Duke Brennan with five fouls late in the second half and a 31-point effort from Nigel James, Jr. to grab the win.
 
"Nigel James, Jr., was great," said Willard.
 
Devin Askew provided a major lift with 13 points. He also added six rebounds.
 
"I just try to stay aggressive every night," Askew said, "and today was the day."
 
Points Flowed
 
Both teams were in an offensive flow early and it was reflected on the scoreboard. Villanova drained its first six attempts from the field, including three from beyond the 3-point arc by Matt Hodge to build a 15-8 lead. However, Marquette used a 10-2 run to jump right back into it, converting 6-of-9, including 4-of-6 from deep, to close to narrow the Nova lead to 19-18 at the 13:29 mark.
 
Hodge made his fourth triple midway through the period, but Marquette's Chase Ross matched it with his second of the afternoon. Villanova led 28-25 with 7:16 left in the first half.
 
At that point, Hodge and Acaden Lewis were a combined 8-of-9 from the field.
 
Finished the Half Strong
 
The Wildcats pushed the lead to 30-25 but the Golden Eagles used the 3-pointer to stay close. Marquette was 7-of-15 from distance with 3:48 to play in the opening half. Villanova held a 32-31 edge at that point.
 
When James Jr. created a steal and slammed it home at the other end, Marquette held its first lead, 33-32. The basket gave James Jr. 16 points.
 
But the Wildcats ended the half as they began it – making shots. Villanova drained its last five attempts from the field with Lewis adding a free throw as part of a traditional 3-point play. It closed the half on a 12-5 surge to give it a 44-38 lead at halftime.
 
Villanova connected on 18-of-29 from the field (.621) in the half. James' offensive fireworks – he ended the half with 19 of the Golden Eagles' 38 points – kept Marquette within striking distance.
 
Act Two
 
Marquette was able to get to the line early in the period – it went 5-of-6 there – to help offset four points from Perkins and a triple from Askew in the first 4:52 of the second period. The Wildcats held a 53-46 lead.
 
Askew helped the Wildcats push the advantage to 64-55 but the Nova foul issues began to accumulate. Perkins and Duke Brennan were both whistled for their fourth personal foul. The Golden Eagles reeled off six straight points to shave the margin to 64-61 with 7:30 left in regulation.
 
Askew came through with a series of clutch buckets for Villanova but the Golden Eagles were still difficult to contain at the other end. Brennan committed his fifth foul on a Marquette drive, and the subsequent free throws closed the gap to 72-67 as the clock approached the four-minute mark.
 
A steal and score by the Golden Eagles brought them to within 72-69. When James Jr., scored on a drive to the goal, it was a 72-71 Villanova lead with three minutes left in regulation. The Wildcats then got a clutch drive and score from Matt Hodge and then Lewis set up Perkins for a layup with 11 seconds to play.
 
Nova then got a defensive stop on the final possession and grabbed the rebound as the clock ran out.