The start of this game was looking like a feeling-out process, but Xavier jumped out to an 11-5 lead after Quentin Goodin drained a pair from long range, something that he isn’t necessarily known for. Then, the Markus Howard Show began. He had 11 of Marquette’s first 12 points converting his first five out of seven shots.
Despite the early onslaught offensively by Howard, the Musketeers kept the foot on the pedal, making their last four out of five field goals to gain an eight-point lead at the under-12 timeout.
The Golden Eagles hit a rough patch on offense going on a scoring drought that lasted more than three minutes.