The Marquette Golden Eagles avoided the letdown after upsetting Kansas State and before playing their in-state rival Wisconsin by beating a game UTEP squad Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum 76-69.
The Golden Eagles led by 7 at the break and stretched the lead to double digits before the Miners railled to get within three but Marquette held them off to improve to 7-2 on the season. Markus Howard led with 21 with Joey Hauser adding 15.
The Golden Eagles will host 12th ranked Wisconsin on Saturday.
