Jones Comes Up Big In Ot Win
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Shara Talia Taylor
The #6 Villanova Wildcats returned to the court with energy and physicality ready for the quarterfinals of the Big East Men’s Basketball tournament, but ultimately fell to Marquette University’s #3 Golden Eagles in a 71-65 overtime loss.
Villanova withstood Marquette’s pressure in the first half and clawed their way back to tie the score after the Golden Eagles soared past them to start the second half. Grace was on the Wildcats’ side after a review of Kam Jones’ shot in the final seconds of the half indicated the ball left his hands after the buzzer and teams would play in overtime, but the Golden Eagles made more shots in the final second of the game.
“On our side I’m really proud of the way our guys just kept fighting,” said Villanova Head Coach Kyle Neptune. “Get it to the overtime and overtime kept fighting till the very end.”
The Wildcats stepped up when Marquette pressed the hero of Round 1, Justin Moore to start the game.
“So, they did focus on him, made it tough for him, loaded him,” Coach Neptune said. “They attacked him in the post. So, I thought he made some great plays. He rebounded.”
Moore led Villanova with six rebounds in the first half. He and Eric Dixon had 11 each in the game.
Villanova was on the scoreboard first with two points from Tyler Burton. The Wildcats were defensive. Marquette’s largest lead in the first half was four points. Teams were tied at 15 with 9:53 minutes remaining in the first half. Each team took the lead. A shot by Eric Dixon pushed the Wildcats ahead 29-28 before halftime. Villanova fell behind as Marquette returned from halftime with swiftness and accuracy. The Wildcats trailed 45-36 when about 12:33 minutes remained in the second half. The nine-point gap was the largest difference in the game, but they fought back to tie the score and go to overtime. Villanova tied the score at 60 and 63 in overtime, but was unable to get a lead.
“A lot of credit to Villanova,” said Marquette Coach Shaka Smart. “You know, they were fighting. They made a terrific run to come back, take a lead. I thought our guys showed tremendous resilience.”
Jones led the Golden Eagles with 18 points. He and Oso Ighodaro had four assists each. Dixon led the Wildcats with 19 total points and Moore led the team with six assists.
“You can’t 100 percent rely on making and missing shots and either way I was proud of the way our guys competed, especially defensively,” Coach Neptune said.
Marquette moves ahead to take on the Providence Friars. Villanova now waits to see if they will be selected for the NCAA Tournament.
