Acaden Lewis had 20 points and a key late assist as Villanova hung on for a 76-73 win when Marqutte missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, Wis.
Villanova (13-3, 4-1 Big East) led the entire second half and most of the game, but had to sweat out the final minutes as Marquette chipped away at a nine-point deficit.
Nigel James had a career-high 31 points and was 7 of 9 from 3-point range, but he didn’t touch the ball on the last possession for the Golden Eagles (6-11, 1-5).
With the Wildcats up 74-73, Lewis drove to the basket, then dished the ball off to a cutting Tyler Perkins for a layup with 11.5 seconds to go. Marquette charged into the front court, but called timeout with 7.3 seconds left.
After the timeout, James inbounded the ball to Royce Parham, who handed it to Chase Ross, who forced a long 3-point attempt over Matt Hodge that was way off the mark. Villanova’s Devin Askew collected the rebound and fell to the court as the clock ran out.
Villanova has won six of its last seven games. Hodge was the offensive engine for the Wildcats in the first half, making a career-high four threes and finishing with 12 points.
The Wildcats took their biggest lead, 64-55, at the 9:03 mark, but thanks to Lewis and Parham (17 points), Marquette fought back.
Villanova made its first six shots, including three 3-pointers by Hodge, and bolted to a 15-8 lead. Marquette countered with a 10-2 run and took their first lead at 18-17 after a three by Ross at the 14:21 mark.
A steal and a dunk by James with 3:20 left in the first half put Marquette ahead 33-32 and got the home crowd going, but Lindsay nailed back-to-back shots and Lewis scored on a three-point play with 50 seconds left as Villanova led 44-38 at halftime.
The Wildcats shot 62.1% from the field in the first half, including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
