Mikal Bridges, bench spark crucial run in No. 6 Villanova's win

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VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The toughest thing about having a good bench is trying to find those subs minutes during the nightly Big East battles.

For Villanova coach Jay Wright, he’s found that he has no choice but to get Mikal Bridges minutes.

Bridges, a 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman swingman, came off the bench Wednesday night to spark a 20-2 Villanova run with two strong drives to the basket, one of which he turned into a three-point play.

That stretch propelled Villanova from a halftime deficit to its seventh straight win, 83-68 over Marquette in a Big East game at the Pavilion (see Instant Replay).

Bridges finished with nine points in just 18 minutes, and his defense helped the Wildcats hold Marquette to just two baskets in the game’s final 12½ minutes.

“Whatever minutes I get, just go out and play as hard as I can,” Bridges said. “I feel like I’m getting better. I’m getting more and more confident.

“When coach is finding ways to get you minutes, it helps your confidence. I don’t get nervous like I was early in the season. I feel like I can go out there and help the team win.”

Bridges is averaging 7.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 20 minutes per game for the Wildcats, ranked No. 6 in the country.

It’s easy to forget about him, considering Villanova has reigning Big East Player of the Year Ryan Arcidiacono, Big East tournament MVP Josh Hart and FIBA Under-19 MVP Jalen Brunson among others on a star-studded roster.

But Bridges is quietly making his mark on both ends of the court.

On Wednesday, Bridges, sophomore Phil Booth (10 points) and Darryl Reynolds all came off the bench to play big minutes in a crucial Big East game.

“Mikel Bridges just keeps getting better and better off the bench, bringing energy,” Wright said.

“The guys off the bench are bringing energy defensively and on the offensive glass. We need that. You don’t need a lot of depth but you need good depth, and I think we’re starting to develop that.”

With its seventh consecutive win, Villanova improved to 15-2 overall and 5-0 in the Big East.

The win was Villanova’s 36th in a row at the Pavilion. The Wildcats haven’t lost on campus since a 55-52 loss to Providence on Feb. 3, 2013.

Villanova led early by 16 points, fell behind by one at halftime, built a 20-point lead, saw it reduced to nine and finally won by 15.

“They’re a good team, they kept fighting back,” Bridges said. “We just had to stay strong and play hard and keep fighting. Forty minutes of Villanova basketball. We never gave up. They kept fighting back, but we kept pushing and pushing and we won the game.”

Junior Kris Jenkins scored a game-high 20 points, Brunson added 14, Arcidiacono 12 and Hart and Booth 10 apiece.

Haanif Cheatham led Marquette with 17 points and Henry Ellenson added 12. Philly native Traci Carter, who played at Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, added 10 points and five assists for Marquette.

“The Big East is the Big East,” Wright said. “Every game (other than Xavier) in the Big East has been a physical, grind-it-out battle and I’m proud of our guys fighting through it.

“We are not playing great, but we’re playing together and we’re playing tough and I’m proud of our guys.”

Bridges, who is shooing 47 percent from the field, said his redshirt year was difficult but necessary.

“It was good but it was also hard,” he said. “You wish you were out there with your teammates, you always want to be there helping out, but I just tried to get better at practice and it was good for me to get a little stronger and be ready once this season began.

“I’m a freshman this year, but they tell me don’t play like a freshman, and I feel like I’m doing that.”

Villanova has now won 20 straight Big East games. Marquette fell to 12-5 and 2-3.

Next for the Wildcats is Georgetown Saturday afternoon at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

He won’t be out there with the starters, but before too long you’ll see Bridges on the court running the floor, rebounding and playing defense.

“It is tough, but we need to get him minutes,” Wright said. “We really do. He’s a big part of what we’re doing.”

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