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Darrun Hilliard, Josh Hart stand out in No. 8 Villanova’s win over Marquette

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No. 8 Villanova has lost just three times this season: at No. 4 Syracuse in December and twice to No. 9 Creighton during Big East play. Not a particularly flashy team, the Wildcats are tough, unselfish and they’ve got plenty of skill as well. Those attributes were on display Sunday afternoon as Villanova beat Marquette 73-56 in Philadelphia.

The leader, offensively speaking, on Sunday was junior guard Darrun Hilliard. Hilliard made seven of his eleven shot attempts, finishing with a game-high 26 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. Averaging 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, Hilliard’s versatility is one asset that has helped propel Villanova to the top of the Big East.

Hilliard’s a capable perimeter shooter, as evidenced by his 5-for-8 afternoon against Marquette and the fact that he’s shooting 40.9% from deep on the season. He’s also good off the dribble, and from a decision-making standpoint Hilliard committed just one turnover on Sunday. Hilliard’s big afternoon was one reason why the Wildcats were able to beat Marquette by such a comfortable margin despite the fact that leading scorer James Bell struggled with foul trouble and didn’t score a point.

Also of note were the 12 three-pointers made by Villanova and the 13 points contributed off the bench by freshman Josh Hart. Given Marquette’s lack of consistent perimeter shooting a 24-point gap (36-12) in points from beyond the arc will be difficult for the Golden Eagles to make up, and that was the case against Villanova.

As for Hart, he hadn’t reached double figures in a game since scoring 13 in a win over DePaul on January 18. With veterans such as Bell, Hilliard, Ryan Arcidiacono and JayVaughn Pinkston the freshman doesn’t have to be a primary scoring option. But when one (or more) of those players struggles Villanova will need Hart, and on Sunday he rose to the challenge.

Between the performances of Hilliard and Hart and a defensive effort that limited Marquette 40% shooting, Villanova had all it needed to pick up its 26th victory of the year with the total establishing a new school record. And if they can continue to play as they have for much of this season, the Wildcats are bound to enjoy even greater success.

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