National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Xavier 68, Marquette 65
When: 9:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 13, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: # Jeff Anderson, # Ed Corbett, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 13807

Xavier 68, Marquette 65: Justin Martin posted 19 points and Semaj Christon contributed 18 as the Musketeers advanced to the semifinals of the Big East tournament in New York.

Third-seeded Xavier (21-11) advances to play second-seeded Creighton in Friday's nightcap. Christon added five assists and Isaiah Philmore contributed 10 points and six boards for the Musketeers while Dee Davis had seven points and five steals.

Deonte Burton's career-high 23 points and Todd Mayo's 21 accounted for more than two-thirds of the offense for sixth-seeded Marquette (17-15). The Golden Eagles shot 57.8 percent from the field and made five of their 11 3-pointers but could not overcome 15 turnovers or 8-of-14 foul shooting.

The game was tied at 41 when Matt Stainbrook's three-point play and Martin's 3-pointer pushed Xavier ahead by six. Marquette kept chipping away and got within 59-58 on Jamil Wilson's jumper with just over two minutes to go.

Martin made a pair of free throws to make it 61-58 before Wilson went 0-of-2 from the line on the other end, only to watch Martin knock down two more, making it 63-58. Mayo scored seven points in the final 45 seconds to keep things interesting and the Musketeers missed 3-of-6 foul shots down the stretch, but the Golden Eagles still suffered their fourth straight defeat - the last three by a total of five points.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Burton had 13 first-half points to lead all scorers while Christon scored 11 to help Xavier lead 31-29 at the break. ... Burton's 23 points were eight more than the freshman's previous career high. ... Stainbrook returned from a one-game absence due to a knee injury and had eight points off the bench.
Top Game Performances
 
Marquette   Xavier
Deonte Burton 23 Scoring Justin Martin 19
Derrick Wilson 5 Assists Semaj Christon 5
Jamil Wilson 6 Rebounds Isaiah Philmore 6
Deonte Burton 5 Free Throws Made Justin Martin 6
Deonte Burton 1 Steals Dee Davis 5
Todd Mayo 1 Blocks Jalen Reynolds 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Marquette 65 57.8 5-11 8-14 15 24 3 3 15
Xavier 68 46.9 5-15 17-23 11 19 2 6 10