(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men’s basketball team (9–18, 4–12 BIG EAST) continued conference play with a 76–70 loss against No. 17/16 St. John’s (21–5, 14–1 BIG EAST) on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
Freshman guard Nigel James Jr. led Marquette with 25 points and three assists, scoring 18 of those points in the second half alone. Sophomore forward Royce Parham also chipped in 17 points, while senior forward Ben Gold added seven points and 10 rebounds.
Marquette coach Shaka Smart talked about the loss.
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said that the Golden Eagles are getting better.
Nigel James Jr. said that they continue to fight, despite the losing.
James talked about the Golden Eagles’ defensive effort.
It was a slow start offensively for both sides, as Marquette and St. John’s were tied at 11 less than seven minutes through the first frame. While the Red Storm held a narrow edge for most of the half, they extended their lead to as many as 11 points after going on a 7-0 run in the final minutes. At the break, the Golden Eagles trailed 44-35 while shooting 44.8% from the field, and Parham led all MU scorers with 11 points.
Coming out of the intermission, Marquette went on an 14–2 run in the first six minutes to retake the lead. Although the Golden Eagles got out to a six-point lead, the Red Storm went on a 9-0 run of their own to take back the advantage. Despite Marquette getting within two points with 20 seconds to play, St. John’s would not relinquish their lead, earning their 12th straight win after holding MU scoreless from the field for over five minutes in the final part of the contest.
UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles travel to Georgetown on Tuesday, Feb. 24 for a 6 p.m. CT matchup
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