Villanova Pours On Threes, Defeats No. 16 Marquette 81-66

Just when you think they’re done for, Villanova Men’s Basketball finds another improbable win.

The Wildcats picked up their fourth ranked win of the season on Friday, Feb. 21, taking down No. 16 Marquette 81-66 for a dominant Quadrant 1 win at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

It took the Wildcats (16-12, 9-8 Big East) all of 3:03 to establish a double digit lead as Jhamir Brickus and Eric Dixon each nailed a pair of threes. Villanova went on to sink 12 in the half and 15 of 26 overall. That included five from Brickus (who scored 21 on the day, his second-best mark of the season) and a perfect 4-of-4 for redshirt freshman Jordann Dumont off the bench.

The Golden Eagles’ only answer was sophomore guard Zaide Lowery, who exploded for 25 points despite not subbing in for nearly eight minutes and played just 26 overall; Dixon, meanwhile, led Villanova with 23 points. The rest of Marquette’s normally-reliable offense made just 15 of 47 shots taken, including five of 25 from three.

Marquette never even managed to make a game of it. Dumont threes on consecutive possessions around the six minute mark put the Wildcats ahead by a commanding 34-15 margin. Kam Jones, a player of the year candidate alongside Dixon, scored just 11.

Villanova forced 19 Marquette fouls in total and sank 16 of 17 free throws in the second half, pushing their lead to as much as 23 and maintaining a double digit lead throughout, never giving the Golden Eagles a chance at life.

Villanova will next take the court at Seton Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, with opening tipoff set for 8:30 p.m.