A 29-9 scoring advantage in the second quarter propelled Marquette to an 80-63 road victory over Xavier Friday night.
The Musketeers (9-16, 2-12 BIG EAST) sneaked out of the first quarter with a 14-12 lead, but the lead did not last long. Marquette came out on fire in the proceeding minutes.
An old fashioned 3-point play by Amani Wilborn got the second quarter run started. Trio of triples from Selena Lott, Natisha Hiedeman and Wilborn respectively soon followed and gave Marquette a 24-16 lead just two minutes into the quarter.
Once they regained the lead, the Golden Eagles never looked back. Marquette (16-8, 10-3 BIG EAST) did not trail the rest of the game, as they extended the lead to as high as 28 points in the third quarter.
Allazia Blockton led the way for Marquette with a game-high 23 points, paired with six assists and five rebounds.
Natisha Heideman found her stroke from behind the arc, knocking down 4 of 6 3-pointers. The junior guard finished with 18 points.
Fellow junior guard Amani Wilborn was the only other Marquette player with double-figure scoring. Wilborn had 13 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting clip from the field.
The Golden Eagles also knocked down 13 3-pointers on the night, coming from six different players. Thirteen is nearly double the typical output for Marquette from 3-point range, as MU averages just under seven made 3-pointers per game.
The Musketeers were led by Jada Byrd with 22 points while three others finished with nine points.
Following the win, Marquette remains in second place in the conference one game back of DePaul.
Marquette now hits the road to face the Butler Bulldogs (13-13, 5-9 BIG EAST) in Indianapolis on Sunday. The game is set to tip off at noon and will be televised on BIG EAST Digital Network.
