MILWAUKEE — After suffering its first loss as the top team in the nation, Villanova found itself up against a Marquette team looking to improve its postseason résumé with an upset.
Jay Wright's team had other ideas.
The still-No.1 Wildcats used a balanced offensive attack to earn an 89-79 victory in front of a packed house of 19,043 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart led four Wildcats in double figures with 19 points each. Daniel Ochefu added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Ryan Arcidiacono added 10 points.
After Marquette cut it to 42-39 early in the second half, Arcidiacono scored five points in 44 seconds and Jenkins drilled a three-pointer to put Villanova back up by double digits.
Villanova built a 17-point lead with 9:20 left in the second half and didn’t trail by fewer than seven points the rest of the way.
With Saturday’s victory, Villanova now sits at 25-4 overall and 14-2 in the Big East. Marquette fell to 18-11 overall and 7-9 in conference play.
What it means
Villanova rebounded from Wednesday’s loss at No. 5 Xavier to regain control of the Big East standings.
The Wildcats lead the Musketeers (25-3, 13-3) by one game with each team having two league games to play. Villanova can clinch at least a share of its third-straight Big East regular-season title with a Xavier loss to Seton Hall on Sunday or a victory over DePaul on Wednesday at The Pavilion.
Stat of the day
Each team turned the ball over 17 times Saturday, but Villanova outscored Marquette, 27-20, on points off turnovers.
By the numbers
• Jenkins and Ochefu each scored 11 points in the second half.
• After Marquette star freshman Henry Ellenson scored 10 points in the first half, Villanova held him to just three points after halftime.
• The Wildcats finished 10-2 in true road games this season.
• Ochefu recorded his seventh double-double of the season.
• Villanova shot 57.7 percent from the field, its third highest field-goal percentage this season.
What's next
Villanova returns home to face DePaul on Tuesday. The Blue Demons enter Saturday’s game at Providence at 9-18 overall and 3-12 in the Big East.
The Wildcats won the teams’ previous meeting, 86-59, Feb. 6 in Rosemont, Illinois.