Villanova falls to Marquette late, St. Joseph’s men win second straight; win streak snapped for La Salle women and more from Wednesday

While Villanova put up one of its best performances of the season, leading No. 14 Marquette for much of the game, the Wildcats wilted in the final minutes and fell, 73-64. The Golden Eagles ended the contest on a 16-3 run.

Eric Dixon and Caleb Daniels led the Wildcats, both scoring 14 points. Guard Tyler Kolek led the Golden Eagles (17-5, 9-2 Big East) with 20 points, joining two other Marquette players in double digits.

» READ MORE: Photos from Villanova women's defeat of Marquette on National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Several Wildcats battled foul trouble early, but the bench stepped up. Dixon, Brandon Slater, and Cam Whitmore were forced to the sidelines for much of the first half, but freshman Brendan Hausen gave the Wildcats a 35-34 lead at halftime with nine first half points.

Hausen finished with his second-best game of the season, posting 12 points, while fellow freshman Mark Armstrong added five. Whitmore had minimal impact, picking up four fouls and playing just 14 minutes.

The Wildcats led for the first 27 minutes but did not make a shot over the final six. Their only field goal came on a Caleb Daniels dunk with 10 seconds left.

Villanova committed a season-high 19 turnovers.

With the loss, Villanova (10-11, 4-6) fell to 4-9 in games away from home. The Wildcats continue their road trip, traveling to play Creighton (14-8, 8-3 Big East) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Fox29).

Freshman Mia Jacobs led La Salle with 10 points but it could vault La Salle who lost to conference foe Virginia Commonwealth, 53-38 in women’s basketball action at the Siegel Center in Richmond on Wednesday.

Charity Shears added nine for the Explorers (14-9, 5-3 A-10) in a loss that snapped a five-game win streak dating back to Jan. 11. Grace Hutson led VCU (7-14, 4-5) with a game-high 14 points while teammate Janika Griffth-Wallace added 13.

La Salle is back in action on Saturday to host UMass at Tom Gola Arena (2 p.m., ESPN+).

» READ MORE: Owls win third straight in 72-59 rout of Wichita State

The St. Joseph’s women fell, 77-73, in double overtime to Rhode Island.

Despite a 27-22 halftime deficit, clutch shooting down the stretch kept the Hawks (15-7, 5-5 Atlantic 10) in the game. Talya Brugler led with 24 points, which included a three-pointer in the third period that tied the game, 42-42. Mackenzie Smith contributed 15 points, and Olivia Mullins added 10.

Mayé Touré led the Rams (18-3, 9-0) with 18 points, including a pair of free throws to seal the win, and 18 rebounds.

Two Brugler free throws sent the game into overtime (64-64), and Smith’s layup followed by a block forced a second overtime. The Hawks needed a deep three to take home the win, however, it was Rhode Island’s Sayawni Lassiter who knocked down the key shot for a 74-71 lead.

St. Joe’s will host Virginia Commonwealth University at 7 p.m. Feb. 8.

» READ MORE: Villanova women rout Marquette to pick up its 10th Big East win of the season

Cameron Brown scored a game-high 18 points along with eight rebounds to lead the St. Joseph’s men past Rhode Island, 64-50, Wednesday at Hagan Arena.

Erik Reynolds II added 15 and Lynn Greer III scored 12 as the Hawks (11-11, 5-5 A-10) picked up their second straight win. Brayon Freeman scored 14 points, and Malik Martin pulled in a game-high 13 rebounds for the Rams (8-14, 4-6).

Next up, St. Joe’s will host Big 5 and conference foe La Salle on Saturday (noon, ESPNU).

» READ MORE: La Salle men end skid with 75-64 win over George Washington