Stevie Mitchell Ties Career-High In #MUBB Win Over Villanova, 87-74

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE - The No. 10/10 Marquette University men's basketball team returned to the win column at home, taking down Villanova, 87-74, at Fiserv Forum Friday night.

The Golden Eagles (17-3, 8-1 BIG EAST) had four players in double figures. Led by senior guard Stevie Mitchell's career-high-tying 21 points. Chase Ross (18 points) and Kam Jones (16) also reached double figures from the starting lineup, while freshman forward Royce Parham chipped in 10 off the bench.

The Wildcats (12-9, 5-5 BIG EAST) took their only lead of the game, going up 8-5 in the first three minutes. The lead was quickly taken back for good with Mitchell's first three-pointer of the contest at the 16:18 mark of the opening half.

Marquette remained in control from there, out-shooting Villanova 46% to 33% throughout the opening frame. Parham nailed a three-point buzzer beater to end the first half to put Marquette up 36-26 at the break.

For the Wildcats, senior guard Jordan Longino led with career highs of 27 points and seven assists.

VU forward Eric Dixon, the nation's leading scorer, posted 18 points and nine rebounds, but was held in check for most of the night by MU's defense. Dixon scored 11 points in the final 5:24 and a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining kept him clear of a season-low point total.

NOTABLE:

Friday's outing is the program's annual Gold Out, in support of the American Cancer Society and former university president Dr. Michael R. Lovell, who lost his battle with cancer in June of 2024.
MU is 11-8 against Villanova in Milwaukee and has won each of the last four meetings at Fiserv Forum. MU is 5-1 against VU in the building.
Golden Eagles have claimed each of the last eight meetings in the series overall.
MU head coach Shaka Smart is 8-2 in his career against the Wildcats and 8-0 against VU during his time at MU.
Friday marked the eight-year anniversary of MU's upset of No. 1 Villanova at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Jan. 24, 2017.
Villanova still holds a 27-20 advantage over Marquette in an all-time series that dates back to 1960.
Friday's attendance number of 17,542 marked MU's fifth sellout of the season (including one at the Al McGuire Center on campus).
Parham is MU's first bench player in double figures since Zaide Lowery (11) at Providence on Dec. 31.
Mitchell's point total of 21 ties a career best recorded earlier this season in MU's win over then-No. 6 Purdue on Nov. 19.
In Mitchell's last six games against his home state Wildcats over the past three seasons, the Reading, Pennsylvania native has averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.67 steals per contest, while shooting 59.3% from the floor (32-of-54). Mitchell played just seven minutes combined, and posted a single shot, in two matchups with VU as a true freshman during the 2021-22 campaign.
Kam Jones now has 1,770 points and is three points from tying George Thompson's 1,773 for fourth all-time in Marquette history.
For the second time in his career, and in the last three games, Ben Gold recorded at least nine rebounds. He had a career-high 13 against Xavier in MU's last home game on Saturday afternoon
MU outscored Villanova, 36-18, in the paint and held a 16-2 edge in points off turnovers. VU's 18 points in the paint ties a season-low mark for an MU opponent. Providence recorded the same mark on Dec. 31.
VU's Longino reached at least 18 points for the fourth time this season and third time in the last four contests.
Villanova is 1-3 this season when Dixon scores less than 20 points in the game.

UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles hit the road for a Tuesday, Jan. 28 game at Butler before returning to Milwaukee for a National Marquette Day game against No. 19/20 UConn on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Keep up with the Marquette men's basketball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteMBB) and Instagram (@marquette.basketball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMensBB). Fans interested in tickets can contact the Marquette Ticket Office online or at 414-288-GOMU (4668).