#MUBB defeats No. 12 Villanova, 83-73, for sixth ranked win

MILWAUKEE - The No. 24 Marquette University men's basketball team toppled No. 12 Villanova, 83-73, at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night.

The victory was the Golden Eagles' sixth over an Associated Press Top 25 ranked team in 2021-22, which sits first in the nation.

Redshirt freshman Justin Lewis paced Marquette (16-7, 8-4 BIG EAST) with 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Guard Tyler Kolek tied his career high with 18 points, while Darryl Morsell totaled 15 points.

For Villanova (16-6, 9-3 BIG EAST), Brandon Slater led with 18 points and three other players contributed double digits.

The victory marked the first time since 2011-12 that MU has swept the Wildcats in the regular season.

Notables:

Since the BIG EAST re-organized in 2013-14, only Creighton in 2013-14 and Butler in 2016-17 have defeated Villanova twice in the regular season.
As part of Black History Month, Marquette and Villanova wore warmup shirts to honor the Black Fives Foundation, which was a league comprised of independent African American basketball teams in 1950.
The win brought the Golden Eagles deficit in the all-time series with the Wildcats to, 27-14. The series dates back to the 1960 season, and includes a 1963 NIT bout as well as the 1980 NCAA Championship opening round.
The series is now equal when taking place in Milwaukee, tied up at 8-8.
Through MU's first 15 points of the game, all six players to appear on the floor had scored.
Spanning over 4:30 near the end of the first half, Marquette went on an 11-0 run, led by nine points from Kolek.
The Golden Eagles managed 56.7% shooting on field goals in the first half, including a 7-for-15 performance from beyond the arc.
Midway through the second half, Morsell went on a personal 8-0 run to give MU a 64-53 advantage.
Kolek, the team and BIG EAST leader in assists, led all players with six helpers on the evening.
Justin Moore had an impressive night for the Wildcats, contributing seven points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in the contest.
Nine players scored four-or-more points for the Golden Eagles, and MU combined to go a near-perfect 17-for-18 from the charity stripe.

Up Next: Marquette has the weekend off, but will travel east to take on the No. 17 UConn Huskies on Tuesday. Tipoff will be at 5:30 p.m. Central time on FS1.