Goodin leads surge, No. 8 Xavier routs Marquette, 89-70

CINCINNATI—Point guard Quentin Goodin scored 13 of his team-high 15 points while No. 8 Xavier took control in the first half, and the Musketeers routed Marquette 89-70 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten at home.

The Musketeers (19-3, 7-2 Big East) surged ahead by 26 and were never threatened as they beat the Golden Eagles for the second time this season. Xavier has won eight of the last 10 games between the schools.

Trevon Bluiett scored 13 and became the fifth Musketeers player with 2,000 career points.

Markus Howard had 33 for Marquette (13-7, 4-4), which entered second in the nation in 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles went only 6 of 23 from outside the arc, matching their season low for 3s.

The Golden Eagles have the league’s top two scorers in Howard and Andrew Rowsey, who had 31 points in the earlier loss to Xavier. The Musketeers clamped down on Rowsey, turning Howard into a one-man show that wasn’t nearly enough.

Howard had 20 points, but the rest of the team went only 2 of 13 as Xavier built a 20-point lead in the first half. Rowsey managed only

three points in the decisive half.

BIG PICTURE

Marquette: The Golden Eagles are 1-5 this season against Top 25 teams, their only win coming over No. 13 Seton Hall on Jan. 9. They get another chance Sunday when they host No. 1 Villanova. They’re 0-4 this season against top 10 teams, with two losses to Xavier, and one each to No. 1 Villanova and thenNo. 6 Wichita State.

Xavier: The Golden Eagles made 15 3-pointers in the earlier game against Xavier, so perimeter defense was the Musketeers’ focus. They succeeded in shutting down the outside—the Golden Eagles were only 2 of 11 from beyond the arc as Xavier built its lead to 20 points.

UP NEXT

Marquette: The Golden Eagles lost at Villanova 100-90 on Jan. 6. The Wildcats were coming off their first loss of the season, 10193 to Butler.

Xavier: The Musketeers play at St. John’s on Tuesday. They beat the Red Storm 88-82 last Wednesday at home, led by Kerem Kanter’s 22 points and 13 rebounds.