Villanova survives bad call at end of regulation, beats Marquette in overtime (Loop)
No. 4 Villanova should have celebrated a buzzer-beater victory Saturday at Marquette but was robbed by a bad call from officials.
Yet, the Wildcats showed composure and determination in overtime and still ended the Golden Eagles' 20-game home-court winning streak in Big East play with a hard-earned 94-85 triumph.
With the game tied at 77, Villanova senior Tony Chennault drove to the basket for a layup that dropped through the net as time expired. Officials waived off the basket and called Chennault for charging even though Marquette big man Steve Taylor Jr., clearly had one foot inside the restricted area, which is supposed to automatically lead to a blocking call against the defender. (Get a great look at the play in our Loop below).
Ryan Arcidiacono scored six of his 20 points in the overtime and also dished two of his 11 assists in the extra period to finish with a double-double for the Wildcats. Arcidiacono also committed zero turnovers leading his team to the win.
It was the third consecutive overtime game for Marquette. The Golden Eagles went 1-2 in those games. They hadn't lost on their home floor to a Big East opponent since Cincinnati beat them in 2011. Villanova hadn't won at Marquette since 2010.
Marquette deserves credit for scrambling back from nine-point deficit in the final 3 minutes to force overtime with an assist from the officials at the end. Todd Mayo hit three pressure-packed free throws with five seconds left to tie the game after being fouled by Arcidiacono, one of few mistakes from him in the game.
Marquette ran out of steam in the overtime and made just two of 10 field goal attempts.
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is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
