New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - Dwayne Anderson's layup at the buzzer gave 10th-ranked Villanova a dramatic 76-75 victory over No. 21 Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The Wildcats had blown all of a 16-point halftime edge and watched Marquette grab a 75-74 lead on a three-pointer by Lazar Hayward with 1:40 to play.

Scottie Reynolds missed on Villanova's next possession, but Jerel McNeal was unable to connect on a three-pointer for Marquette with 51 seconds remaining. The Wildcats then turned the ball over when Corey Stokes was called for traveling, but McNeal missed at the other end with 15 seconds left.

Out of timeouts, Villanova quickly worked the ball to the free throw line and Reggie Redding made a neat pass around a defender to a wide open Anderson, who just beat the clock with his reverse layup that bounced off the iron before falling through.

"I guess [Redding] saw me cutting at the last second and I hit the shot," said Anderson.

It was Anderson's only basket of the game. He added two free throws for four points. Reynolds finished with 21 points and Stokes had 20 for the fourth- seeded Wildcats (26-6), who will face top-seeded Louisville in Friday's semifinals. Louisville advanced earlier in the day with a 73-55 triumph over Providence.

"I'd rather be lucky than good," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We'll definitely take that. We've been on the other side of it in this tournament."

Jimmy Butler scored 19 for Marquette (24-9), which was coming off a rout of St. John's in the second round on Wednesday and lost for the fifth time in its last six games.

"They made a great play at the end to win it," said Marquette head coach Buzz Williams. "We lost. They deserved the victory. We'll try to handle it and get better over the next few days."

The Golden Eagles, minus injured guard Dominic James, also got 15 points from McNeal and 13 points and 11 rebounds from Hayward. James is sidelined for the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured foot in a February 25 game against Connecticut.

Marquette trailed 47-31 at the break, but a three-pointer by Hayward got the Eagles on the right track to start the second half. McNeal and Hayward added three-pointers a few moments later, pulling Marquette within 49-42.

The Villanova lead hovered between six and 12 points over the next few minutes, but the Eagles were able to hang around and another three by McNeal with just over five minutes remaining trimmed the deficit to 69-65. Butler added two free throws a minute later to make it a two-point game.

Marquette cut it to one with just under three minutes to play on a triple by Maurice Acker and tied it at 72-72 on the ensuing possession when Butler made the second of two free throws with 2:13 to play. Reynolds followed with a layup for Villanova before Hayward's three gave Marquette its first lead since the opening stages of the contest.

The Eagles finished 10-of-25 from three-point range, including 8-of-13 in the second half after a disastrous 2-for-12 first half. Marquette, which shot just 33.3 percent overall with only six two-point field goals, also made 33-of-39 from the free throw line.

Villanova ran off eight straight points early to grab a 12-5 edge, but Marquette rallied and pulled within 17-15 midway through the opening half. The Wildcats then scored the next 11 points -- five by Stokes and four by Reynolds -- to open a 13-point cushion.

A jumper by Reynolds with 3:40 left in the half gave Villanova a 38-23 lead and margin reached 17 before Villanova settled for a 47-31 advantage at the break.

"I thought in the first half we struggled because we were in foul trouble," Williams noted. "I thought in the second half, we were better on both ends of the floor."

Game Notes

Acker scored 12 for Marquette, while Wesley Matthews contributed 11 points with 10 rebounds...Dante Cunningham scored just seven points for Villanova, which shot 42.1 percent overall...Villanova has won at least one Big East Tournament game each of the last six years. The Wildcats will play in the semifinals for the first time since losing to Pittsburgh in 2006.