The Wildcats lose their second straight on the road game in a close battle with Marquette. 

Marquette came into the matchup with an overall record of 14-5, while Villanova stood at 11-8. Despite the difference in overall records, both teams had a record of 5-3 in conference play. 

Both teams showed struggles on the offensive end, with the Wildcats shooting 27.6% from three, and the Golden Eagles at 25%. The strong defensive efforts from both teams certainly affected these stats as both teams struggled to get open looks from three throughout the contest. 

The teams entered the fourth tied 43-43, after having 11 lead changes in the first 3 quarters. The Golden Eagles took the lead 20 seconds into the quarter and held it the remainder of the game. The Wildcats had many opportunities to make a push, especially in the last 3:00 of the game, when they were forcing turnovers and missed shots, but just could not convert on the offensive end. 

Marquette was led by redshirt junior guard, Lauren Van Kleunen, who tallied a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate, senior guard, Isabelle Spingola, also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.  

Madison Siegrist led all scorers with 25 points, making this her 10th 20-point performance of the season. She leads the team with an average of 20.2 ppg. Mary Gedaka had a strong game with 16 points and 7 assists. 

The Wildcats were out rebounded, by a margin of 47-26. This seems to be a persistent struggle, as they have been out rebounded in each of their last 5 games. If this continues to plague them, the ‘Cats will struggle to find success in the second half of Big East play. 

Villanova returns to the Finneran Pavilion on Friday, January 31 when they take on St. John’s. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.