Instant Replay: No. 7 Villanova 70, Marquette 52

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Villanova continued to assert its Big East dominance with an impressively easy 70-52 defeat of Marquette on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Ryan Arcidiacono scored a game-high 18 points to lead five players in double figures for the No. 7 Wildcats (20-2 overall 7-2 Big East), who remain in first place in the conference heading into a showdown with Georgetown on Saturday in the same building.

The reeling Golden Eagles dropped to 10-12 overall and 2-8 in the Big East, and have lost six straight -- their longest losing streak since the 1990-91 season.

The Wildcats were in control throughout against cold-shooting Marquette, leading by as many as 24 to coast to their 20th win of the season.

Big men on campus
Arcidiacono shot 4 for 7 from three-point range to match his season high in scoring. Darrun Hilliard scored 12 points, Josh Hart had 11, and Phil Booth and JayVaughn Pinkston each finished with 10.

Jajuan Johnson was the only Marquette player to hit double figures with 10 points. Leading scorer Matt Carlino had nine points and nine rebounds, with all of his points coming on threes.

Numbers game
• Marquette shot 46.7 percent from the field in the second half after shooting 23.3 percent before the break.

• Villanova shot 11 for 26 from three-point range.

• Marquette had 17 turnovers, while Villanova had 15.

First half
Marquette jumped out to a 6-2 lead before going ice cold from the field, missing 11 straight shots as Villanova went on a 10-0 run.

After Carlino buried two straight three-pointers to tie the game at 12-12, the Wildcats dominated the rest of the half, going into halftime with a 17-point lead on the strength of a 24-7 run.

The Golden Eagles shot a dreadful 23.3 percent from the field in the first half and made only three of the 22 two-pointers they attempted.

The Wildcats didn’t have a great shooting half either (32 percent) but got 14 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds.

History
Villanova holds a 15-9 advantage over Marquette in the all-time series, winning four straight.

The Golden Eagles have beaten Villanova twice at the Wells Fargo Center -- in 2008 and 2012.

South Philly domination
The Wildcats have enjoyed their time in the Wells Fargo Center recently, winning all three games there this season and nine of their last 10 overall at the Sixers’ home court.

The Wildcats, who are 42-33 all-time in the arena, have two more games in South Philly this season.

Up next
Villanova plays its second straight game at the Wells Fargo Center when it hosts Georgetown on Saturday (2 p.m., Fox).

Marquette faces Seton Hall on the road Saturday.

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