In 4th straight win, Villanova’s late surge sinks Marquette
Tyler Perkins scored 22 points and Villanova closed on an 11-2 run to defeat visiting Marquette 77-74 on Tuesday.
Acaden Lewis contributed 15 points, while Matt Hodge added 13 for the Wildcats (19-5, 10-3 Big East), who posted their fourth straight win. Villanova overcame 39% shooting from the field and an 18-of-31 effort from the foul line to sweep the regular-season series.
The Golden Eagles (9-16, 4-10) appeared ready to win on the road for the first time this season but managed only two points in the final three minutes. Royce Parham shot 8 of 9 from the field and posted career highs in points (26) and rebounds (11) for Marquette, while Adrien Stevens pitched in with 18 points as the Golden Eagles shot 49% from the field.
The Golden Eagles led by a point with just over eight minutes left before Stevens' 3-pointer ignited an 8-0 run.
However, the Wildcats quickly responded with a 9-0 stretch. Perkins hit back-to-back 3-pointers before Hodge's triple rattled in to tie the game at 66-all.
Marquette answered again, this time with 3-pointers from Ben Gold and Chase Ross. Perkins drained a 3-pointer on the other end, sparking a 9-0 spurt that put the Wildcats up 75-72. Lewis' twisting layup put Villanova ahead in the midst of that stretch.
Nigel James Jr.'s layup with 14.8 seconds left made it a one-point game before Devin Askew responded with two free throws. On their final possession, the Golden Eagles wasted nearly the entire clock before Stevens' long 3-point attempt was snuffed by Perkins at the buzzer.
Villanova opened a double-digit advantage midway through the first half. The Wildcats led by 10 with less than six minutes left in the half before the Golden Eagles chipped away to get within 36-32 at the break.
The Golden Eagles opened the second half on a 7-2 run to take a one-point lead. Several minutes later, Lewis scored five quick points to put the Wildcats ahead 47-41.
Continuing the back-and-forth theme, Marquette used a 14-3 run to take a 58-53 lead midway through the second half. Parham scored nine points during that surge.