Villanova took the court against No. 17 Marquette (12-5, 3-3 Big East) on Monday, Jan. 15, in what would prove to be its most difficult conference matchup thus far. The Wildcats lost in Milwaukee, 87-74. 

The loss brings Villanova’s overall record to 11-6 and its conference record to 4-2, placing it in fifth in the Big East. The game also highlighted the team’s struggles on the road as the Wildcats are now 2-3 away from home.

The Wildcats were led by sophomore guard Mark Armstrong, who scored a career-high 24. Redshirt senior Eric Dixon contributed 15.

It was a competitive first half, but the Wildcats couldn’t pull ahead. They trailed, 43-40, going into halftime.

The Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half to increase their lead to 50-40. The Wildcats fought back to make it a tied game at 57 after a three-pointer from Dixon with 10 minutes remaining. 

However, the tie was short-lived. Marquette went on a 12-0 run over the next four minutes, putting the game out of reach. Villanova couldn’t rally, resulting in its sixth loss of the season. 

Aside from the performances from Armstrong and Dixon, sophomore guard Brendan Hausen continued to be a spark plug off the bench. He recorded 11 points in just 19 minutes. He shot 60% from three-point range. It is the first time in Hausen’s career that he has been able to string together two games in double figures, as this performance follows his 17-point outing against DePaul. 

Villanova’s next challenge will be one of its toughest, as it matches up against No. 1 UConn at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, Jan. 20. Villanova will look to upset the reigning NCAA Champions and continue to try and build a tournament-worthy resumé.