Villanova rolls to a 96-64 win over Marquette behind 27 points from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Robinson-Earl, who had 12 three-point baskets in his first 14 games, knocked down five in as many attempts as the Wildcats shot 63% in the game.
After having only 12 three-point baskets to his credit through Villanova’s first 14 games this season, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl really opened up some eyes Wednesday night with his proficiency from the arc against Marquette.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore knocked down five three-point baskets in as many attempts on his way to 27 points and helped lead the fifth-ranked Wildcats to a 96-64 victory over the Golden Eagles at Finneran Pavilion.
In winning for the 11th time in their last 12 games, the Cats (13-2, 8-1) placed all five starters in double figures. Collin Gillespie had his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 assists. Jermaine Samuels added 14 points, while Caleb Daniels and Justin Moore chipped in with 12 apiece.
But it was Robinson-Earl, who never made more than two threes in a game before Wednesday night, sparked an offense that drilled 13 threes for the game while shooting 63% overall. He was 10 of 11 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds.
“I work at it with the assistants to get my shot preparation right, just little details, pay attention to the details getting those shots up,” he said. “So when you’re in the game taking a lot of those shots, you feel as confident as possible. It’s just not mentally thinking about trying to make the shot, but staying as confident as possible.”
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The Wildcats scored the first five points of the second half, extending their run to 12-2 going back to the opening period, and led 45-32 on Robinson-Earl’s three-pointer with 18:36 left. Back-to-back threes by Moore and Daniels’ layup extended the advantage to 18, 57-39, with 15:10 remaining.
The Golden Eagles (9-11, 5-9) made a run and narrowed the gap to nine, 61-52, with 11:33 to play on two free throws by Dawson Garcia, who led Marquette with a career-high 28 points.
But here came Robinson-Earl, knocking down three consecutive three-point baskets on as many possessions over a 1:30 stretch. Gillespie followed with a three and the Nova lead was up to 73-54 with 8:24 to play.
“He’s really developing as an offensive player,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “He’s been working on this. I don’t think you expect him to have a night like this every night, but he’s had some good nights. He keeps getting more consistent every time he steps on the offensive end of the floor. But he never ever has a poor game defensively or on the glass.”
The Wildcats spread the ball around, recording 25 assists on 34 made baskets while committing just nine turnovers. They held a 30-9 advantage in points off turnovers, with Marquette coughing the ball up 16 times.
The game also marked the season debut of Nova sophomore guard Bryan Antoine, who had missed the entire season with a shoulder injury. He played five minutes, handing out one assist.
The game stayed close for the opening 12 ½ minutes before the Wildcats opened up some room with a 6-0 run keyed by three assists from Gillespie. Samuels converted one basket with a jumper from the free-throw circle, and Moore accounted for the other field goals on a dunk and a layup, giving ‘Nova a 29-22 lead with 5:29 left in the period.
Villanova would go almost the rest of the half without a basket but sank eight free throws. With the Golden Eagles trailing 33-30, guard Koby McEwen was whistled for a foul on Samuels and picked up a technical for his reaction.
Gillespie and Samuels combined to hit all four free throws to extend the margin to seven. On Villanova’s last possession, Daniels missed a three-pointer from the right wing but Gillespie grabbed the rebound, fed Daniels at the same spot, and Daniels drained the shot at the buzzer for an eight-point advantage, 40-32.
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