City of Basketball Love

Zach Drapkin (@ZachDrapkin)

& Will Slover (@WillSlover31)

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Villanova used a strong second half to bounce back from its lone loss on the season and top Marquette by a score of 93-81 in front of nearly 17,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

At First…

Hitting eight of their first nine shot attempts from the field, the Wildcats mounted an early 20-10 advantage eight minutes into the contest. Villanova was able to hold a two-possession lead for the rest of the half despite Marquette’s 7-for-12 start from deep, holding their opponents to just 5-15 on two-point attempts in the opening frame.

Turning Point…

A technical foul to Golden Eagles head coach Steve Wojciechowski prompted a 6-2 Villanova run to end the first half at 44-33 in the Wildcats’ favor. Jalen Brunson, Kris Jenkins, and Mikal Bridges all splashed home threes as Villanova began the second half with 11 unanswered, pushing the lead to 22 just four minutes into the period. Shooting 17-of-26 (.654) for the half, Jay Wright’s men didn’t let the lead drop below double digits for the rest of the game, going up by as many as 28 points as they cruised to the 12-point statement victory.

Standout Stars…

Jenkins led Villanova’s offensive push, pouring in a season high of 23 points, with 18 of those coming from beyond the arc. The senior forward did his damage while shooting an efficient 7-of-11 from the field. Aiding Jenkins’ effort was fellow senior Josh Hart, who stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists

For Marquette, freshman guard Markus Howard led the charge as he led the Golden Eagles with 21 points, 2 shy of his career high.

Noteworthy Numbers…

65.3%: Villanova shot 32-of-49 (.653) from the field in their win, turning in their best shooting performance of the season as they blew away their previous season high of 58.1% in their win over American on December 21st.

14: Villanova knocked down 14 threes on 23 attempts in their rout of Marquette, good enough for their second best total on the season and falling just shy of their season high of 16, which they accomplished twice in wins over Wake Forest and Saint Joseph’s.

93: Villanova lit up the scoreboard for 93 points on Saturday, coming within a possession of passing their season high of 96, which they scored on November 18th against Wake Forest. 

Up Next…

Villanova (15-1, 3-1) vs. Xavier (13-2, 3-0), Tues., Jan. 10, 7:00 PM

Marquette (10-5, 1-2) vs. Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1), Wed., Jan 11, 6:00 PM