Marquette Edges Xavier 72-70 in Big East Road Test

Kam Jones and David Joplin lead No. 9 Marquette past Xavier, overcoming a late rally in a tightly contested game.

Marquette secured a narrow 72-70 victory over Xavier, improving to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Big East play.
Kam Jones scored 20 points, including a crucial free throw in the final seconds, while David Joplin added 19 points and surpassed 1,000 career points.
Xavier, playing without injured leading scorer Zach Freemantle, mounted a 12-0 second-half run to briefly take the lead but fell short in the final moments.
Marquette capitalized on its dominance in the paint, scoring 44 points inside and limiting turnovers to maintain control in key moments.
Xavier dropped to 8-5 overall and 0-2 in Big East play, despite strong performances from Marcus Foster and Ryan Conwell.