Marquette vs. Villanova: Score, Highlights, Reaction to 2017 Regular Season

Marquette overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to shock No. 1 Villanova with a 74-72 upset win Tuesday night.

The defending national champions were up 39-24 at intermission and led by as many as 17 points in the second half. However, the Golden Eagles were outstanding on both ends of the court in the second half, scoring 50 points in this stretch.

Katin Reinhardt tied the game at 70-70 on a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, and then the senior transfer knocked down two free-throw attempts with 11 seconds left to give Marquette the 74-72 lead.

Jalen Brunson had a chance to tie the game for Villanova, but the final attempt didn't fall, via Fox Sports 1:

Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com noted the significance of the win:

As Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports added, this is an important victory for a team hoping to get an NCAA tournament bid:

Reinhardt was the top scorer for Marquette with 19 points off the bench on 5-of-10 shooting. Luke Fischer also added 15 points, although the entire team was solid offensively. The squad made 50 percent of its shots on the night, including 9-of-19 from three-point range.

The same could not be said for Villanova, which struggled from the perimeter to go 6-of-34 from deep. Mikal Bridges had a strong effort with 20 points, while Josh Hart added 16 points and eight rebounds, but Kris Jenkins was among those who struggled with just two points on 0-of-7 from the field.

The result was the Wildcats' second loss of the season.

Sam Vecenie of Sporting News gave credit to the underdogs after the game:

"

Been trying to let you all know that Marquette is pretty legit. Couple of huge wins against Creighton and Nova.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 25, 2017"

The finish was a major surprise considering how the game began. Villanova scored the first eight points and looked like the clear better team early.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com joked about the struggles for the Eagles:

While Marquette was able to cut the lead to 24-20, a 13-0 run by the Wildcats pulled away and helped earn a 39-24 advantage after the first half.

However, the home team fought back slowly with strong 1-3-1 defense to force bad looks. When the shots started falling on the other end, it was clear this was going to be a close game.

Reinhardt then tied up the game with this big three-pointer, via Fox Sports 1:

Solid free-throw shooting then helped Marquette come away with the surprising two-point win.

Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com broke down the effect across college basketball:

Villanova will likely fall out of the top spot in the polls, although this is still one of the top contenders in college basketball. This team will try to prove it in its next game against Virginia on Sunday.

Marquette will try to build off its recent success and climb up the Big East standings with a home game against Providence on Saturday.

Postgame Reaction

Reinhardt came through in the biggest moments Tuesday night and was still thrilled about it afterwards.

"You dream of these kinds of things," the guard said, per Tom Pipines of Fox6.

Meanwhile, his coach was happy to get the victory regardless of how it looked.

"It wasn't exactly how we drew it up, but our kids found a way to win," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said, per Stephen Watson of WISN12. "Our fans are thirsty for wins like this."

After beating Creighton in the previous game, it's clear the Golden Eagles are a threat going forward.