#MUBB Falls 76-70 to No. 17/16 St. John’s

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 13 points, while senior forward Ben Gold added seven points and 10 rebounds.

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 on Peacock.

NOTABLES 

• Marquette honored legendary head coach Al McGuire on Wednesday, celebrating the annual Al’s Night matchup with St. John’s. McGuire played for the Red Storm and led MU to the 1977 national title.
• Marquette suffered its first loss at home since Jan. 10 against Villanova.
• Nigel James Jr. has reached double figures in scoring in 15-of-16 league outings.
• James Jr. finished with 22 points, his eighth game of 20-or-more points this season.
• Royce Parham has scored double figures in nine-straight games and in 11-of-12.
• Ben Gold played in his 133rd career game and is now tied for fifth all-time at MU with David Cubillan (2006-10).
• Chase Ross is now tied for ninth with 129 career appearances.
• Gold collected 10 rebounds in the game. It was the fourth game of his career with at least 10 rebounds.
• Ross finished with two steals and is now sixth all-time at MU with 203.

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NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.