Golden Eagles comeback from 15-point halftime deficit
MILWAUKEE – Katin Reinhardt hit two free throws with 11.6 seconds left, Jalen Brunson and Darryl Reynolds missed chances to tie near the basket in the final seconds, and Marquette upset No. 2 Villanova 74-72 on Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles (14-6, 5-3 Big East) roared back from a 17-point deficit for a season-defining win over the Wildcats (19-2, 7-2).
It was the second time Marquette beat the AP’s No. 1-ranked team. The Golden Eagles beat Kentucky in the 2003 NCAA tournament.
Fans stormed the court at the Bradley Center for the kind of floor-stomping postgame celebration that hasn’t been seen in Milwaukee since coach Al McGuire paced the Marquette sideline.
He would have been proud of the Golden Eagles’ effort against Villanova. Marquette overcame poor free-throw shooting and lackluster stretches in the first half to pull off the upset.
No. 1 Kansas also lost Tuesday, 85-69 to No. 18 West Virginia.
Reinhardt’s three from the right wing tied the game at 72 with 1:04 left.
His two free throws gave the Golden Eagles an even bigger lift.
Mikal Bridges had a season-high 20 points for Villanova.
For a while on Tuesday night, Villanova looked like it was going to pull away in another runaway. The Wildcats built a 15-point halftime lead in spite of subpar nights from Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, their two leading scorers.
Marquette opened the second half shooting 8 of 9 from the field, but a spate of poor free throw shooting held it back.
But it was the defending national champion Wildcats who withered in the end. Marquette finished the game on a 19-4 run. Villanova ended the night on a 2-of-13 stretch from the field.
After Reinhardt’s three, Duane Wilson hit two foul shots with 46 seconds left to give Marquette a two-point lead.
Hart’s acrobatic tip-in of a missed three from Brunson tied the game again with 35 seconds, setting up Reinhardt’s game-winning free throws.
Coach Steve Wojciechowski secured the biggest win of his three-year tenure at Marquette.