Marquette rallies to keep win streak alive

PHILADELPHIA -- With the energy that comes from a confidence-building winning streak, Marquette wasn't about to let Villanova spoil the party.

The Golden Eagles (No. 17 AP, No. 18 ESPN/USA) roared back from an 18-point first-half deficit to sink the unranked Wildcats, 82-78, at the Wells Fargo Center, for their sixth straight win.

"It's all mental toughness," guard Junior Cadougan said. "We could've given up and given them the game, but we work hard every day in practice. Coach trains our minds to go through adversity and we came through today."

Senior leader Darius Johnson-Odom, who continued to cruise up the school's all-time scoring list, paced the Golden Eagles' attack with 26 points and Jae Crowder added 20 for Marquette (18-4, 7-2 Big East).

Wildcats forward JayVaughn Pinkston poured in a team-high 17 points for Villanova, one of five Wildcats to reach double digits. Guard Dominic Cheek added 16 points for Villanova (10-12, 3-7 Big East).

Trailing 46-36 at halftime, Crowder drained a three-pointer as Marquette looked to snatch momentum. After each team added nine points to its total, the Eagles soared to a 12-0 run to lead for the first time in the game, 57-55, when Pinkston was called for goaltending on Jamil Wilson's shot.

After Villanova had fought back to regain the lead at 69-65, Marquette assumed control after a crucial technical foul was called on Maalik Wayns with 6:15 left to play on a scramble for the ball.

"I thought the ball clearly went off the Marquette player," Wayns said. "I didn't touch it at all. I didn't say anything disrespectful to the ref, so I don't know what caused it. I was surprised. That was a four-point swing. That was a momentum changer."

Johnson-Odom drained both free throws, and the Golden Eagles seized the lead for good with an 8-0 run.

"We're able to keep a level attitude in games like that," Johnson-Odom said. "I was able to get in a groove once we were down. When we're able to get stops, it allows me to create offense on transition. When we play off each other, anyone can score."

Marquette had to hold off Villanova in the final minutes.

The Golden Eagles held a 76-71 edge with just more than a minute left when a lost ball led to a Pinkston dunk to pull the Wildcats within three.

Shortly after, Cheek's game-tying attempt from long range wouldn't fall.

After a series of failed attempts to inbound, Cheek missed another attempt from nearly the same spot.

Pinkston hit a 3-pointer with a little under 10 seconds left, to close within 80-78. But Marquette's Vander Blue, who went 4-for-4 from the line in the final seconds, hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.

Marquette trailed 30-12 midway through the first half, as Cheek and Bell tallied 11 points apiece. But Johnson-Odom scored six points during an 11-3 run to narrow the margin.

Villanova led the entire first half, but the schools traded leads seven times and were tied four times overall in the second half.

"We couldn't get stops in the second half, and that's the best way for us to create offense," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "When you're struggling, it's never one thing."

Crowder added 11 rebounds for Marquette. Maurice Sutton scored 11 points and snared 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.

On why Marquette never seem rattled during the frenetic final few minutes, Cadougan credited the team's bruising practices, joking that players "fight all the time" and get into "tussles," but are all brothers at the end.

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