James Bell would lead the way in the half for the Wildcats, scoring 15 points on 6-11 shooting, including 3-6 from beyond the arc, while Darrun Hilliard added 9 points on 3-5 shooting from three-point range.
The Wildcats would again struggle to maintain a lead in the second half, as the Golden Eagles began to close in down the stretch. Trailing 71-67 with 1:16 remaining in the game, Marquette began to capitalize on missed free throws from Villanova.
Ryan Arcidiacono would make four straight free throws for the Wildcats however, giving Villanova a 77-74 lead with 12 seconds remaining. Arcidiacono would be called for a foul on a Todd Mayo shot from beyond the arc with just 5 seconds remaining however.
After Mayo tied the game at the foul line, Villanova had time for one last play. The Wildcats would get a driving layup from Tony Chennault with less than a second remaining, but it would be waved off on a terrible charging call by the refs, forcing the game to overtime.
Villanova would take control in overtime, winning by a final score of 94-85, as Arcidiacono and Bell tallied 6 points apiece for the Wildcats in overtime.
Bell would lead all scorers, with 30 points, while Arcidiacono and Hilliard finished the game with 20 points apiece. Arcidiacono came up big for the Wildcats in overtime and kicked in 11 assists in the contest as well to finish with a double-double.
Davante Gardner would lead the way for the Golden Eagles in the loss, finishing with 29 points and 13 rebounds to record the double-double.
While it wasn’t the best showing for Villanova this season, the Wildcats were able to gut out the win and rebound from a blowout loss to Creighton earlier in the week. The win improves Villanova’s record to 17-2 overall and 6-1 in Big East play, as they kicked off a three-game road trip with a win.
By: Kyle Babcock
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