NEW YORK – Relationships. Growth. Victory.
That is No. 5 Marquette men’s basketball’s motto.
It’s almost like it was March 1st again when it was down to the final seconds for the Golden Eagles, but this time they were not facing St. John’s; it was No. 4 Xavier.
It was a dogfight for who wanted it more. A Cinderella story in March. Ultimately, it was Marquette who found a way to claw their way back to an 89-87 triumph at Madison Square Garden.
The run that saved the day
It was only two-and-a-half minutes into the second half and the Golden Eagles found themselves down by 14. But it was senior guard Kam Jones who kicked it off.
Jones and junior guard Chase Ross had back-to-back threes and when a glimmer of hope was given, but it was junior guard Ryan Conwell who shot the momentum down.
After the media timeout, Ross began to bridge the gap, then it was first-year forward Royce Parham from beyond the arc and suddenly, Marquette was just five points away from tying it, but the gap got bigger once again.
Layup and repeat, the Golden Eagles were now just two points away, but it was Jones who capped off the 10-0 run with a triple.
It was that 24-9 run that spanned close to seven minutes for a Marquette team who seemed to have been just one step behind the Musketeers up to that point.
#mubb ekes out an 89-87 win over Xavier in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.@hilsontrevor & @RaquelRuizMU provide you with their takeaways from the win: pic.twitter.com/bYIxFv3VwY
— Marquette Wire Sports (@MUWireSports) March 14, 2025
Crucial Scoring
Marquette did not gain its largest lead until the last two seconds of the game when it was up by five. In fact, the last time MU even held the lead was just over minute 18 of the first half when senior guard Stevie Mitchell and senior forward David Joplin went back-to-back from beyond the arc.
Conwell had given Marquette the most trouble. Ending with 38 points, he became the player with the most ever points in a Xavier uniform during a single game in Big East Tournament play and was just one point shy of tying former Marquette guard Markus Howard’s tournament record of 39.
But something sparked in the Golden Eagles, which allowed them to go on the run they needed that gave them a fighting chance.
The shots fell, and when they didn’t, there was Mitchell, who was playing his usual high-level defense, resulting in five steals versus Xavier’s none.
Free throws were more of a bright spot for Marquette this time around, as they shot 11-for-13 from the charity stripe. The last time the Golden Eagles were even close to that efficiency, with 10 or more attempts, was back in January versus Georgetown when they shot 23-for-27.
The final minutes
“They kept battling at the end there,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “…It got dicey, but guys did a great job of executing late game inbounds, execution and getting the ball in.”
The Musketeers were forced to triple their fouling numbers in the final minute, putting guys at the line. Fans were standing, then sitting, grabbing their hair in frustration and cheering as the clock dwindled, watching in suspense, eager for what was going to happen.
One after another, both teams were trading baskets, and aggression from players wearing the name “Marquette” on their chests resulted in a win they needed to advance to the semifinals.
“Our season is not over,” Mitchell said. “Regardless of the result, we just want to go after it.”
This story was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.
