ST. JOHN’S IS RIPPED Johnnie’s now wait to see if their NCAA bubble will burst

Just when it seemed No. 23 Marquette was about to let a fifth straight game slip away, Markus Howard showed everyone why he was the Big East player of the year.

Howard scored 12 of his 30 points in a game-breaking 23-2 second-half run, and the Golden Eagles routed St. John's 86-54 in the conference quarterfinals Thursday night.

It was the most points scored by a Marquette player in the tournament, breaking the old mark of 28 set by Jerel McNeal against Notre Dame in 2008.

“Markus is Big East player of the year for a reason, and it's not just because he can score,” coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “You're talking about a complete player, who every team's game plan is geared to stop him. What he's been able to do this year is fantastic. It's hard when you command that much attention from a defense to make a great decision every time, especially when the ball is in your hand a lot, but he's done that more times than not.”

The win advanced secondseeded Marquette (24-8) to its first Big East semifinal since 2010. It will face No. 3 seed Seton Hall tonight at the Garden.

Howard was never needed more than when St. John's (2112) closed a 12-point halftime deficit to 43-37 on a jam by Justin Simon, who led the Red Storm with 14 points and eight rebounds.

That had Madison Square Garden rocking with 14:57 left and prompted Wojciechowski to take a 30-second timeout.

Whatever he said, it worked — although the coach downplayed the timeout.

Shamorie Ponds, who was averaging 19.7 points per game, was held to 13 on 4-of-14 shooting. St. John's hasn't been to the Big East semifinals since 2000.

The loss leaves St. John's on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, with five losses in its last seven games.

SETON HALL 73, GEORGETOWN 57

Myles Powell scored 29

points in the first half to set a Big East Tournament record and finished with 31 to lead Seton Hall a 73-57 victory against Georgetown in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

The third-seeded Pirates (1912) will face No. 2 seed Marquette in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Seton Hall ended the regular season with consecutive victories against Marquette and Villanova and now seems safely in the NCAA Tournament field no matter what else happens this weekend in Manhattan.

James Akinjo, the Big East freshman of the year, scored 15 to lead the sixth-seeded Hoyas (19-13), who likely slipped off the bubble and out of contention for an NCAA bid.

Powell was hitting from everywhere in the first half, driving hard to the basket and launching from long range. He scored 13 straight points for the Pirates to close the half, dropping three 3s and mixing in an end-to-end drive for a layup. The last 3 was a heat-check from about 24-feet in transition that had the junior from Trenton, New Jersey, mugging for the crowd.

Powell and the Pirates turned 10 Georgetown turnovers into 20 first-half points and led 53-28 at the break.

Then Powell scored Seton Hall's first bucket of the second, but that was that. He and the Pirates cooled off from there. After going 10 for 14 from the field and 4 for 7 from long range in the first half, Powell finished 11 for 21 from the floor. He was three points shy of the Seton Hall record for a Big East Tournament game of 34 set by John Leahy in 1995 against Boston College.

The Hoyas never got closer than 14 in a lackluster second half.

VILLANOVA 73, PROVIDENCE 62

With its chances of a third straight Big East Conference Tournament title on the line, the players who carried No. 25 Villanova most of the season stepped up and took control.

Eric Paschall had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Collin Gillespie hit two 3-pointers in a game-deciding 17-5 run and point guard Phil Booth was a steadying influence as the topseeded Wildcats.

Gillespie added 19 points and six assists and Booth had 13 points as the top-seeded Wildcats (23-9) beat the Friars (1815) for the third time this season.

Nate Watson had 15 points to lead Providence, which was playing its second game in 18 hours. Alpha Diallo and Isaiah Jackson added 14 apiece for the Friars.

XAVIER 63, CREIGHTON 61

Zach Hankins scored 22 points, including the go-ahead tip-in with 21 seconds left, and Kyle Castlin blocked Creighton's last shot in the closing seconds to give Xavier a 63-61 victory Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Musketeers (18-14) will face top-seeded defending conference champion Villanova in the semifinals