The Big East opener between Marquette and Xavier didn't lack for excitement on Wednesday night.
But the Musketeers were able to convert on key plays down the stretch in a 91-87 victory over the Golden Eagles in a high-flying, back-and-forth offensive affair at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Senior guard Andrew Rowsey scored 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting to lead MU (9-4). He shot 6 of 17 on three-pointers.
MU freshman Jamal Cain had 16 points for a new collegiate high. His previous bestwas 10 points against Chicago State on Nov. 29.
Sophomore guard Markus Howard had a rare off night, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting. He was 1 of 8 from beyond the arc.
BOX SCORE: Xavier 91, Marquette 87
Senior guard Trevon Bluiett had 23 points to lead the Musketeers (13-1), ranked No. 5 in the USA Today coaches poll and sixth in The Associated Press Top 25. Senior guard J.P. Macura added 15.
"They were able to get key stops at key times and we left a few points on the board that we would normally make," MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "When you combine those two things against a team like Xavier, who is a team that has a chance to win a national championship, you're going to come out on the wrong end more times than not.
"I thought there were three or four momentum plays where we had shots at the basket and we weren't able to convert and they came down and hit a two or three. It's not just not finishing, it's four- or five-point swings."
A three-pointer by Rowsey tied the game at 80 with 2:31 remaining.
But a jumper by Macura and a three-pointer by junior forward Kaiser Gates after a scramble for a loose ball put Xavier ahead for good
MU had the ball with 47 seconds left while trailing, 85-82. Rowsey missed a three-pointer and then a mid-range floater after an offensive rebound by sophomore center Harry Froling.
The Musketeers salted away the victory from the free-throw line after that. Xavier finished 22 of 24 from the line.
"We just hurt ourselves down the stretch," Rowsey said. "On defense and on offense."
Xavier shot 31 of 61 (50.8%) for the game. MU was at 32 of 69 (46.4%).
The game featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes.
But the Golden Eagles will look back on a few plays that they would like to have back.
• Cain made a steal with MU down, 74-72, with 4:26 remaining and found a streaking Howard with a pass. But Macura was able to sprint back on defense and block Howard's layup attempt off the glass.
Quentin Goodin then hit two free throws on Xavier's next possession.
• Coming out of a timeout with 1:55 on the clock and MU trailing, 82-80, Howard got open on a backdoor cut and was fed a nice pass by Froling. But Howard missed the reverse layup attempt.
On Xavier's ensuing possession, MU sophomore Sam Hauser knocked the ball away but Bluiett was able to able to dive for the loose ball and then find Gates in the corner for the crucial three-pointer.
“We had a chance to seize momentum a couple times and we weren’t able to. Some of that is a result of Xavier being really good and making good plays. Some of that is a result of us needing to do things at a higher level," Wojciechowski said.
Tightly contested Big East battles turn on those plays. MU could probably expect a few more games like this one.
“They’re a special offensive team. They’re very aggressive defensively, I think that gets lost a little,” Xavier coach Chris Mack said of the Golden Eagles. “I know they gave up a lot of points, but we’re a pretty good offensive team. I think their guys play with great energy.
“It could have gone either way. Fortunately we were able to make the plays down the stretch.”