National Basketball Association
Xavier 90, Marquette 72
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 10, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials:
# Pat Driscoll, # Gary Prager, # Michael Stephens
Attendance:
N/A
By The Sports Xchange
NEW YORK -- For the second time this season, No. 5 Xavier burned Marquette with its 3-point shooting.
The Musketeers hit 11 of 26 from beyond the arc in a commanding 90-72 victory over the Golden Eagles on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Xavier made 13 of 20 in a 90-82 victory over the Golden Eagles on Feb. 6.
The second-seeded Musketeers (27-4) led the entire game Thursday in winning their sixth game in the last seven. They advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year and will face Seton Hall or Creighton on Friday.
Villanova, the defending tournament champion, squares off against Providence in the other semifinal.
Trevon Bluiett led five Xavier players in double figures with 24 points. Forward James Farr and guard J.P. Macura scored 12 points apiece, forward Jalen Reynolds netted 11 and guard Edmond Sumner had 10 points.
Junior guard Jajuan Johnson came off the bench to lead the seventh-seeded Golden Eagles (20-13) with 19 points. Freshman star Henry Ellenson was plagued by foul trouble and limited to 14 points and three rebounds. He played most of the second half with four fouls.
The Musketeers sealed the victory with a 6-0 run in 35 seconds to move ahead 62-35 with 15:04 remaining.
Xavier took command to start the second half. The Musketeers used a 10-3 flurry to move ahead 56-33 during the first 3:30 of the half.
Ellenson scored 10 points in the first half but was called for his third foul with 2:45 left.
The Musketeers led 43-27 with 1:15 to play in the first half on the strength of a 15-4 run. Bluiett had seven points in the spurt and finished the half 5 of 7 from the floor with 12 points.
Ellenson picked up two quick fouls in the first three minutes and was forced to the bench. When he returned two minutes later, Xavier led 15-7.
Xavier went on a 15-4 run in the first five minutes of the game.
NOTES: Since joining the Big East in the 2005-06 season, Marquette is the only program to have reached the quarterfinals of the tournament every year. ... Marquette F Henry Ellenson was named the Big East Freshman of the Year. He collected his 18th double-double of the season in a 101-93 win over St. John’s in the opening round on Wednesday. It was the first time the Golden Eagles scored at least 100 points against a conference opponent since joining the Big East. ... Xavier is in the top 10 of the AP poll for the 13th straight week. ... Xavier guard J.P. Macura was named the Big East Sixth Man of the Year. ... Xavier G Trevon Bluiett landed a spot on the All-Big East first team.
Top Game Performances
Marquette |
|
Xavier |
Jajuan Johnson 19 |
Scoring |
Trevon Bluiett 24 |
Jajuan Johnson 4 |
Assists |
Edmond Sumner 7 |
Luke Fischer 9 |
Rebounds |
Trevon Bluiett 6 |
Jajuan Johnson 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Larry Austin Jr. 2 |
Sandy Cohen III 2 |
Steals |
Larry Austin Jr. 1 |
Henry Ellenson 2 |
Blocks |
Trevon Bluiett 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Marquette
|
72 |
38.1 |
3-18 |
21-24 |
9 |
28 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
Xavier
|
90 |
53.0 |
11-26 |
9-16 |
20 |
40 |
3 |
3 |
9 |