For the first time, Marquette fell to No. 5 Villanova at Fiserv Forum after beating the Wildcats the first two seasons of play in the arena.
Due to Golden Eagle turnovers, and a second-half surge from the Wildcats, Marquette was not able to defeat their third top-10 team of the season. Here is a breakdown of the loss.
GAME MVP
Senior Guard Collin Gillespie was the Wildcats top scorer throughout the game. He went into halftime with 14 points and tacked on eight more in the second half to finish with 22.
Gillespie was on the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, and he played like it, shooting 7-for-13 from the field and adding four assists and two rebounds. He took 11 shots from behind the 3-point line, making six of them.
NOTES
- Villanova was one of the few BIG EAST teams without a win in Fiserv Forum going into the night. The other BIG EAST teams who have not won in the new arena are Xavier and DePaul.
- Marquette is the only team in the country who has played three AP top-10 teams. They are still the only team in the country with multiple wins over top-10 teams.
- Marquette allowed Villanova to score 18 points off of 17 turnovers. The Wildcats committed just four turnovers on the night.
- Jamal Cain finished with 15 points, which is two points shy of his career-high that he set last season against Kansas State.
- Villanova has scored more than 80 points in three straight games.
- Marquette shot just 43.8% from the free throw line, making seven of their 16 attempts. They were 0-for-5 in the first half.
NEXT UP
After losing their third consecutive game and falling to 5-5 on the season, the Golden Eagles now get some time off. They do not play until Jan. 2 when they travel to Washington D.C. to play Georgetown.
The Hoyas are 3-5 on the season after losing to Seton Hall Wednesday night by 12.
This story was written by Matt Yeazel. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @MJYeazel.
