Tyler Perkins scored 22 points and Villanova closed on an 11-2 run to defeat visiting Marquette 77-74 on Tuesday.

Acaden Lewis contributed 15 points, while Matt Hodge added 13 for the Wildcats (19-5, 10-3 Big East), who posted their fourth straight win. Villanova overcame 39% shooting from the field and an 18-of-31 effort from the foul line to sweep the regular-season series.

The Golden Eagles (9-16, 4-10) appeared ready to win on the road for the first time this season but managed only two points in the final three minutes. Royce Parham shot 8 of 9 from the field and posted career highs in points (26) and rebounds (11) for Marquette, while Adrien Stevens pitched in with 18 points as the Golden Eagles shot 49% from the field.

The Golden Eagles led by a point with just over eight minutes left before Stevens’ 3-pointer ignited an 8-0 run.

However, the Wildcats quickly responded with a 9-0 stretch. Perkins hit back-to-back 3-pointers before Hodge’s triple rattled in to tie the game at 66-all.

Marquette answered again, this time with 3-pointers from Ben Gold and Chase Ross. Perkins drained a 3-pointer on the other end, sparking a 9-0 spurt that put the Wildcats up 75-72. Lewis’ twisting layup put Villanova ahead in the midst of that stretch.

Nigel James Jr.’s layup with 14.8 seconds left made it a one-point game before Devin Askew responded with two free throws. On their final possession, the Golden Eagles wasted nearly the entire clock before Stevens’ long 3-point attempt was snuffed by Perkins at the buzzer.

Villanova opened a double-digit advantage midway through the first half. The Wildcats led by 10 with less than six minutes left in the half before the Golden Eagles chipped away to get within 36-32 at the break.

The Golden Eagles opened the second half on a 7-2 run to take a one-point lead. Several minutes later, Lewis scored five quick points to put the Wildcats ahead 47-41.

Continuing the back-and-forth theme, Marquette used a 14-3 run to take a 58-53 lead midway through the second half. Parham scored nine points during that surge.

–Field Level Media

Wake Forest and Georgia Tech have both had disappointing campaigns and both have to start collecting wins if they want to compete in postseason play.

With only 15 of the 18 Atlantic Coast Conference teams qualifying for the ACC tournament next month — and Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the mix for one of those last spots — Wednesday’s matchup in Atlanta is one of the biggest down the stretch for two programs desperate for a win.

Georgia Tech, 11-13 overall, brings a 2-9 conference record to the game, currently putting them out of an ACC tournament spot. The Yellow Jackets have lost five in a row, including a 95-72 blowout loss Saturday at Stanford.

Leading scorer Kowacie Reeves Jr. (15 points per game) didn’t play against the Cardinal, but reports Tuesday night indicate that Reeves is expected to play against the Demon Deacons.

“It’s one of those things where I can sit up here and talk about what I don’t got, you know? I’m not going to do that,” Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire said. “That’s not the reason we lost. Did we miss the 16 (points)? Of course we did, but he didn’t play on Wednesday as well and we were right there to win.

“The reality of it is that we gotta do a better job because right now, what we’re doing is we’re good enough to stay in good, but just not good enough to lose the game as well and at the end of the day, we got to get over the hump whether Kowacie is available or not.”

Wake Forest is also on a five-game losing streak, which has seen their conference record plummet to 2-8. A loss by either squad will further sink them down in the standings, but a win could go a long way in helping them make the conference tournament with little more than a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

“I’m really disappointed that we lost the game,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said following an 88-80 loss to No. 24 Louisville on Saturday. The Demon Deacons fought back from a 15-point, second-half deficit to tie the game before faltering late.

“We fought so hard to get back in it, playing the right way, and then we quit doing things that got us back into the game.”

–Field Level Media

Texas A&M will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season when it hosts improving Missouri on Wednesday in a Southeastern Conference game in College Station, Texas.

The Aggies (17-6, 7-3 SEC) most recently suffered an 86-67 loss at home to then-No. 17 Florida on Saturday. That was the first time in league play that Texas A&M lost by more than five points and the first time since November that it has lost back-to-back games.

Texas A&M’s shooting was the culprit in Saturday’s loss. The Aggies entered the contest averaging 92.0 points per game but shot just 30.6% from the floor and scored less than 70 points for only the second time all year. A&M made just one of its first 27 shots, including a stretch of 23 straight misses.

“We can learn more from this game than a lot of games,” Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan said. “Just understand we’ve got to stay the course and not get too antsy. Our destiny is right in front of us.”

Pop Isaacs and Marcus Hill led the Aggies in scoring with 17 points apiece in defeat.

“I believe in this team,” Issacs said. “We did a good job staying together earlier in the year when we went through that adversity. I have no doubt this team will stick together, do this and find our swagger back.”

Missouri (16-7, 6-4 SEC) heads to Texas after a 78-59 romp at South Carolina on Saturday that produced the Tigers’ first two-game winning streak since the first week in January and snapped a three-game road losing skid.

Jayden Stone scored 22 points, Mark Mitchell added 20 points and 11 rebounds and T.O. Barrett hit for 14 points in the win, which improved Missouri’s chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years.

A win over the Aggies on the road would aid those chances even more.

“To be able to go on the road and never have a deficit in a game is tremendous,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said after Saturday’s win. “Hats off to our team.

“We played a collective game from the beginning to the end,” Gates added. “Defensively, to be able to hold a team on their home court to 30% in the first half, 30% in the second and for the game 30%, that’s a remarkable accomplishment.”

The Tigers have five more Quadrant 1 games remaining on their schedule, including Wednesday’s clash in Aggieland. Three of those Quad 1 opportunities will be at home against Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas.

–Field Level Media