National Basketball Association
Marquette 95, Xavier 84
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Where: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Officials:
# Michael Stephens, # James Breeding, # Clarence Armstrong
Attendance:
10071
By The Sports Xchange
CINCINNATI -- Andrew Rowsey scored 20 points and Jajuan Johnson added 19 as Marquette had five players in double figures in a 95-84 victory over reeling Xavier on Wednesday night at Cintas Center.
Marquette (18-11, 9-8 Big East) kept alive its hopes of earning the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Big East Conference tournament.
It was the Golden Eagles' first-ever victory at Cintas Center.
Xavier (18-12, 8-9) lost its sixth straight, putting its NCAA Tournament hopes in real jeopardy for the first time this season.
J.P. Macura led Xavier with 20 points and RaShid Gaston added 16. Trevon Bluiett scored 15 points for the Musketeers in what could be his final game at Cintas Center if he chooses to forgo his senior year and enter the NBA Draft.
The Musketeers' six-game losing streak is their longest since January 1982.
Xavier has dropped six of nine since losing sophomore point guard Edmond Sumner to a knee injury. Bluiett missed two games with an ankle injury.
Marquette won the first meeting 83-61 on Feb. 18 when the Musketeers were still without Bluiett. The Golden Eagles hit 13 3-pointers in that game.
Wednesday's matchup began in similar fashion for Marquette, which sank 5 of 8 3-point attempts to build a 21-12 first-half lead.
Golden Eagles guard Markus Howard, who scored 34 points in the first meeting, had 15 points Wednesday. Katin Reinhardt scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half.
Marquette, which led by 13 points at halftime, scored 25 points off 14 Musketeer turnovers.
Xavier got within single digits on a few occasions in the second half, but the Golden Eagles had an answer for every Musketeers run.
Marquette hit 13 of its first 15 shots in the second half, shooting 62.5 percent and going 6 of 9 from 3-point range after halftime to maintain its lead.
The Golden Eagles now lead the all-time series 49-12. Xavier owned a six-game winning streak in the series before being swept in this year's meetings.
Top Game Performances
| Marquette |
|
Xavier |
|
Andrew Rowsey 20 |
Scoring |
J.P. Macura 20 |
|
Andrew Rowsey 5 |
Assists |
Quentin Goodin 5 |
|
Sam Hauser 6 |
Rebounds |
RaShid Gaston 7 |
|
Andrew Rowsey 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Trevon Bluiett 4 |
|
Jajuan Johnson 4 |
Steals |
J.P. Macura 2 |
|
Matt Heldt 4 |
Blocks |
Malcolm Bernard 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Marquette
|
95 |
61.1 |
12-21 |
17-20 |
19 |
26 |
5 |
6 |
10 |
| Xavier
|
84 |
49.1 |
9-20 |
21-26 |
18 |
28 |
3 |
3 |
14 |
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