#MUBB Holds On For 85-80 Win At Villanova

The No. 9/10 Marquette University men's basketball team (16-5, 7-3 BIG EAST) continued BIG EAST Conference play with a 85-80 victory against Villanova (11-10, 4-6 BIG EAST) on Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion.

Guard Tyler Kolek finished with career-high 32 points and eight assists and guard Stevie Mitchell chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds. Kolek's point total is the highest since Olivier-Maxence netted 31 points against LIU in 2022-23.

Marquette moved ahead by 10 points early in the second half, but the Wildcats had the answer and eventually took their first lead of the game at 48-47 with 15 minutes remaining. The Wildcats pushed the lead to four points before Marquette responded with a run of its own and led by as many as 12 points in the closing minutes of the second half. Once again, Villanova battled back and the game came down to the final minute.

The Golden Eagles started strong at both ends of the court in the first half, jumping out to a 15-2 advantage and leading by as many as 20 points (37-17, 5:00). The Wildcats, however, closed the half on a 14-2 run and MU led by just eight points, 39-31. Marquette finished the half shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, but was above 70.0 percent for a majority of the first 20 minutes.

Notables:

Marquette was without guard Kam Jones (ankle), but did return Chase Ross (shoulder) to the lineup after missing the last five outings (only played one minute against Seton Hall on Jan. 6)
Marquette has now won six-straight against Villanova, the longest run in series history
Sophomore forward Ben Gold made his first-career start in his 57^th appearance
The Golden Eagles are in the midst of a stretch that has the team on the road in 6-of-8 outings in BIG EAST play
Guard Stevie Mitchell grabbed a career-high nine rebounds

UP NEXT:
Marquette returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. CT when the team travels to Georgetown.

Keep up with the Marquette men's basketball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteMBB) and Instagram (@marquette.basketball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMensBB). Fans interested in tickets can contact the Marquette Ticket Office online or at 414-288-GOMU (4668).