National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 89, Marquette 79
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: # Evan Burroughs, # Michael Stephens, # Earl Walton
Attendance: 19043

MILWAUKEE -- Still stinging from a loss to Xavier earlier in the week, the top-ranked Villanova Wildcats got back on track Saturday, pulling away from Marquette for an 89-79 victory over the Golden Eagles at the Bradley Center.

Forward Kris Jenkins and guard Josh Hart led the way for the Wildcats, scoring 19 points each, while forward Daniel Ochefu added 18 with 12 rebounds for his first double-double since going down with an injury last month. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono finished with 10 points.

Villanova (25-4, 14-2 Big East) moved into the top spot of both polls Monday, then dropped a 90-83 decision at Xavier on Wednesday in large part because of lackluster defensive play.

The Wildcats struggled again on that side of the ball against Marquette, allowing the Golden Eagles to shoot 52 percent for the game and 7-of-19 on 3-point attempts, but cashed in on Marquette's 17 turnovers, which Villanova converted for 27 points.

"They led to some very easy baskets for them and you just can't do that against a team like that," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "Our turnovers led to almost a third of their points and that's not how you beat a team like this."

Marquette (18-11, 7-9) got 19 each from its starting backcourt of point guard Haanif Cheatham and shooting guard JaJuan Johnson. Freshman forward Henry Ellenson added 13 points and six rebounds and his brother, Wally, chipped in with 11.

The Golden Eagles also forced 17 turnovers but just couldn't find a way to stop Villanova defensively. The Wildcats hit 57.5 percent of their shots and knocked down seven 3-pointers -- four of them by Jenkins -- while also going 18-for-25 from the free-throw line.

"We would be disappointed in how sloppy we played and the turnovers but Marquette is the best in our league at turning people over," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We shot 57 percent but those turnovers, we had 17, every time we turned it over, they scored. That was a big part of the game."

With the help of four Marquette turnovers, Villanova opened the game with a 9-0 run and took an 11-4 lead 6:01 into the game. The Golden Eagles snapped out of the funk, however, and were within five at the half thanks to 11 points from Johnson, who sank all five of his first-half shots, and 10 from Henry Ellenson.

Marquette made it interesting early in the second half, getting within three on a pair of free throws by Johnson but the Wildcats, who cashed in on three more Golden Eagles turnovers, recovered and went up by 11 after a 3-pointer by Jenkins with 17:53 remaining.

"We just kept our attitude," Ochefu said. "We knew they were going to make runs. We had to be like sponges and soak up their run and squeeze it back out. We did a good job of that."

Marquette cut the deficit to six after Luke Fischer's dunk at the 15:45 mark and Villanova responded again, this time with a 14-3 run that included four from Hart.

"We just played together," Jenkins said. "We were able to get stops and get out in transition. We got some ball screens out in transition. We were just solid on defense."

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Marquette.

NOTES: Villanova F Kris Jenkins is averaging 19.0 points in his last four games. ... Wildcats F Daniel Ochefu notched his first double-double since suffering an injury Jan. 13, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. ... Marquette F Henry Ellenson finished with 10 points and is now the Golden Eagles' all-time leading freshman scorer with 478 points, surpassing Dominic James. ... The Golden Eagles were without freshman C Matt Heldt, who suffered a left knee sprain earlier in the week. Sophomore F Sandy Cohen III returned to action Saturday. He sat out the Golden Eagles' victory over Creighton earlier in the week for disciplinary issues. ... Saturday marked the 10th time in school history that Marquette was facing the nation's top-ranked team. The Golden Eagles are now 1-9 all-time against No. 1s, with their only victory coming against Kentucky in the 2003 Elite Eight. ... Villanova leads the series with Marquette 19-9 and has won the last two meetings in Milwaukee, where the Wildcats are 5-3 all-time.
Top Game Performances
 
Villanova   Marquette
Josh Hart 19 Scoring Haanif Cheatham 19
Jalen Brunson 5 Assists Traci Carter 10
Daniel Ochefu 12 Rebounds Henry Ellenson 6
Phil Booth 6 Free Throws Made Henry Ellenson 6
Ryan Arcidiacono 2 Steals Jajuan Johnson 5
Daniel Ochefu 1 Blocks Henry Ellenson 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Villanova 89 57.7 7-17 22-25 20 27 1 8 17
Marquette 79 51.9 7-19 18-25 19 22 2 13 17