Howard scores 17, Marquette trounces No. 19 Butler
MILWAUKEE — No. 19 Butler contained Markus Howard, the nation’s leading scorer, but Marquette’s supporting cast answered the challenge.
Howard, who entered averaging 27.9 points, scored 17 and Brendan Bailey and Koby McEwen added 16 apiece to lead Marquette to a 76-57 victory over Butler on Sunday.
Marquette (17-6, 7-4 Big East) put the game away when McEwen hit back-to-back 3 pointers and Bailey followed with another to give the Golden Eagles a 62-45 lead with 6:09 remaining.
The victory avenged an 89-85 overtime loss at Butler on Jan. 24, Marquette’s only loss in its last seven games.
Kamar Baldwin had 23 points and Bryce Nze added 14 for Butler (18-6, 6-5), which has stumbled after a 15-1 start.
Marquette went to the free-throw line 28 times, making 21, compared with 7 of 8 for Butler. The Golden Eagles also had 11 3-pointers, including four each by Bailey and McEwen, while the Bulldogs were just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc.
The Golden Eagles took their biggest lead of the first half at 34-23 when Jayce Johnson scored underneath to cap an 11-2 run. Marquette failed to add on, missing its final eight shots of the half to lead 34-26 at the break.
Marquette had not played since Feb. 1, and coach Steve Wojciechowski said defensive work during the time off helped limit Butler to 38 percent shooting.
NO. 25 HOUSTON 76, WICHITA STATE 43
Houston had one of its best all-around defensive efforts of the season and used it to move into sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference.
Quentin Grimes had 14 points and six rebounds, DeJon Jarreau added 12 points and seven rebounds and No. 25 Houston beat Wichita State.
Marcus Sasser and Caleb Mills each scored 11 points, and Nate Hinton had 10 points and nine rebounds for Houston (19-5, 9-2 AAC).
The Cougars have won seven of eight. Dexter Dennis had 10 points and six rebounds, and Tyson Etienne and Jaime Echenique each scored seven points for Wichita State (17-6, 5-5). The Shockers have lost three straight.
Wichita State came into Houston limping after consecutive losses in the final seconds to Tulsa and Cincinnati.
The Cougars shot 50% and outrebounded Wichita State 44-30. The Shockers shot 26 percent and were 2 of 24 on 3-pointers.
Houston outscored the Shockers 32-12 over a 16-minute stretch of the first half to take a 38-17 lead on a jumper by Sasser with a minute remaining. Jarreau had eight points to lead the run, and Grimes had seven points.
The Cougars led 38-18 at the half, and the Shockers never got closer than 18 in the second half.