Markus Howard scored 35 points and Marquette stifled Xavier on the defensive end in an 85-65 home victory on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

Howard, the nation's scoring leader at 27.3 points per game, logged his seventh 30-point game of the season and 24th of his career by making 12 of 27 shots with five 3-pointers.

Howard had 19 in the first half and 13 more during a 15-0 Marquette run early in the second half that gave the Golden Eagles a 61-39 lead after Xavier had opened on a 7-2 run to cut into a 44-32 halftime deficit.

Marquette (12-5, 2-3 Big East) shot 47.7 percent and outrebounded Xavier 46-30, with 15 offensive boards leading to 17 second-chance points. But it was its transition game that really stood out, scoring 25 on the break, with many of those scores coming after Xavier turnovers or one-and-done possessions.

Howard's scoring dominance was expected but aiding the cause for Marquette were other contributors. Senior guard Sacar Anim had 10 of his 12 points in the first half while junior forward Theo John and junior guard Koby McEwen each added 10, improving the Golden Eagles to 7-1 when at least three players score in double figures.

The Musketeers (12-6, 1-4) were held to 35.9 percent shooting, their second-worst rate of the season, and hit only 6 of 25 from 3-point range to drop to 26.7 percent from outside in Big East play.

Hurting Xavier's cause was having junior guard Paul Scruggs limited to five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. He did not score until the first minute of the second half and finished with 11 points, but helping fill the void in his absence was senior forward Tyrique Jones, who had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and passed 1,000 points for his career, while leading scorer Naji Marshall added 15.

Xavier and Marquette will have a rematch in Cincinnati on Jan. 29.

--Field Level Media