Midway through the second half, the scoreboard during Villanova’s game against No. 16 Marquette on Friday night resembled the disappointment of Tuesday’s loss to Connecticut.
However, this time, Villanova (16-12, 9-8 Big East) secured an 81-66 victory over Marquette (20-7, 11-5) at the Wells Fargo Center.
In both games, the Wildcats held a double-digit lead entering the final 10 minutes. But while Villanova fell to UConn, it maintained a wire-to-wire lead against a cold-shooting Marquette.
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Graduate forward Eric Dixon led the way with 23 points and five rebounds. Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus dropped 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three.
“We talked to each other at practice [after the UConn game] about how we need to lock into the details, and we went out there and did that, and came out with a victory [Friday],” Brickus said.
It was head coach Kyle Neptune’s first career win over Marquette.
The Quad 1 win, Villanova’s second of the season, is one punch in a tough fight out of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Villanova dug itself into a late-season hole with recent losses to Providence and UConn.
First-half domination
Villanova opened the game proving its status as the sharpest three-point shooting team in the Big East. The Wildcats shot 12-for-15 from long range and 16-for-28 from the field in a lopsided first half.
“[Villanova] obviously was locked in, and they treated this like a game that they had to have,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “We did not do a good enough job having a level of … disruptivity to take those shots away, and Villanova made us pay every time.”
Dixon and Brickus sank Villanova’s first five three-pointers. A Dixon three, assisted by Brickus, put Villanova up by 10 only 3 minutes, 3 seconds into the game.
The Wildcats stayed hot from outside the arc throughout the first half and took a 46-33 halftime lead. Brickus sent Villanova into the locker room with his fifth three of the night and shot 5-for-5 in the first half from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats also laid down the defense, outrebounding the Golden Eagles, 15-12.
“It wasn’t even the shots, it was the energy that we brought on defense that got us there,” Brickus said. “That defense led to offense, and we just took it and ran with it.”
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Marquette leading scorer Kam Jones had a quiet game with just 10 points. Zaide Lowery instead paced the Golden Eagles with 25 points.
Dumont breaks out
Both teams slowed down early in the second half. A 10-0 Marquette run over 2:28 midway through the second half put a dent in Villanova’s lead, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t get any closer than 13 points.
While Villanova’s second-leading scorer Wooga Poplar (five points, nine rebounds) struggled on Friday, redshirt freshman forward Jordann Dumont had an unprecedented impact. He finished with 15 points, after scoring just 14 total in his Villanova career.
“We have high-level three-point shooters, but I thought either way, we put ourselves in a great spot defensively,” Neptune said. “I thought that was key.”
Final stretch
Villanova has three games left in the regular season before the Big East tournament, which starts March 12 at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats’ next contest will be on the road at Seton Hall on Wednesday (8:30 p.m., FS1).
Villanova last defeated the Pirates, 79-67, on Dec. 17.