MILWAUKEE — Collin Gillespie scored 22 points and made six 3-pointers and No. 5 Villanova strolled to a comfortable 85-68 victory over Marquette in Big East Conference play on Wednesday night.
Gillespie Bounces Back For Villanova
Gillespie, who is averaging 14.5 points per game this season, was bouncing back from his seven-point performance in the win over Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.
The senior guard shot 7-of-13 from the field and 6-for-11 from deep to go with four assists.
Justin Moore added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl shot 6-of-10 for 13 points with seven rebounds for the Wildcats (8-1, 3-0 Big East), who were securing their sixth consecutive victory.
Caleb Daniels added 10 points and five assists and Brandon Slater scored 10 points off the bench for Villanova, which shot 48.3% on 29 of 60 attempts from the field.
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Jamal Cain scored 15 on 6-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers to go with his seven rebounds to pace Marquette.
Third Defeat In A Row For Marquette
D.J. Carton had 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Theo John finished with 10 points and Dawson Garcia grabbed eight rebounds with nine points before fouling out for Marquette (5-5, 1/3 Big East), which dropped three straight games.
The Golden Eagles fell short of claiming their third straight win against a top-10 ranked team this season after beating then-No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 on Dec. 4 and stopping then-No. 9 Creighton 89-84 on Dec. 14.
Both teams shared baskets early in the game before Villanova used an 8-0 late run in the first half to set up a 36-30 lead for the Wildcats at the break.
Villanova then used a 10-1 run to pull away as the lead increased to as many as 23 points.
Marquette shot 51.0% and made nine 3-pointers in the loss. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Wildcats 34-27.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Villanova Wildcats will next take on No. 22 Xavier on Jan. 2. This will be their third matchup against a ranked team this season.
Marquette next visits Georgetown on Jan. 2.
Digital Box Score | ESPN Box Score
VILLANOVA (8-1)
Robinson-Earl 6-10 1-1 13, Samuels 2/3 2-2 7, Daniels 4-9 0-0 10, Gillespie 7-13 2-2 22, Moore 5-12 2-4 14, Swider 2-7 0-0 5, Slater 2/3 5-5 10, Dixon 1/3 2-2 4, Arcidiacono 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-60 14-16 85.
MARQUETTE (5-5)
Cain 6-11 0-0 15, Garcia 3-7 1-5 9, John 3-5 4-6 10, Carton 4-6 0-0 10, McEwen 2-10 0-0 5, Lewis 3-4 0-2 6, Elliott 3-5 0-0 7, Akanno 2-2 0-1 4, Torrence 0-1 2-2 2, Ighodaro 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-51 7-16 68.
Halftime–Villanova 36-30. 3-Point Goals–Villanova 13-33 (Gillespie 6-11, Daniels 2-6, Moore 2-7, Samuels 1-1, Slater 1-1, Swider 1-6, Robinson-Earl 0-1), Marquette 9-18 (Cain 3-5, Carton 2-3, Garcia 2-4, Elliott 1-2, McEwen 1-3, Lewis 0-1). Rebounds–Villanova 26 (Robinson-Earl 7), Marquette 31 (Garcia 8). Assists–Villanova 17 (Daniels 5), Marquette 19 (Carton 5). Total Fouls–Villanova 18, Marquette 16.
