It took a 91-82 victory over Providence and a Pittsburgh loss to Louisville for the Golden Eagles to take sole possession of the conference lead.

Saturday's defeat of Providence — which started out the conference season 3-1 before facing Marquette – came with a number of story lines.,”The Marquette men's basketball team (16-2, 5-0 Big East) now sits alone atop the Big East standings.

It took a 91-82 victory over Providence and a Pittsburgh loss to Louisville for the Golden Eagles to take sole possession of the conference lead.

Saturday's defeat of Providence — which started out the conference season 3-1 before facing Marquette – came with a number of story lines.

The Golden Eagles overcame a 13-point second half deficit to take the lead with just over three minutes left in the game.

The other twist came when Jonathan Xavier, brother of Providence guard Jeff Xavier, came out of the stands to dispute a play in which his brother received an eye injury. Jonathan was removed from the court by security, and play quickly resumed.

Marquette was led by Jerel McNeal, who finished with 25 points and six assists, and Lazar Hayward, who added 25 points and seven rebounds. Wesley Matthews also continued his high-scoring form, turning in 22 points.

Despite the victory, the Golden Eagles still allowed Providence to shoot 56.4 percent from the field, while shooting just 50.7 percent themselves.

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