No. 9 Marquette commits just 2 turnovers in 80-70 win over Butler

MILWAUKEE – Kam Jones scored 23 points and No. 9 Marquette committed just two turnovers in an 80-70 win over Butler on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.

Marquette (10-2, 1-0) had its fewest turnovers since Jan. 8, 2011, when it also had two turnovers in an 89-81 loss at Pittsburgh, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell each scored 15 points for Marquette, which rallied from a 35-32 deficit.

The Golden Eagles bounced back three nights after blowing a 13-point lead in a 71-63 loss at Dayton.

Butler (7-5, 0-1) dropped his fourth straight despite shooting 51.1% from the floor.

Jahmyl Telfort and Kolby King each scored 16 points for Butler. Patrick McCaffery had 13.

Takeaways

Butler: The Bulldogs are struggling through a tough stretch, as three of their losses in this skid came against Top 25 teams. Butler lost 79-51 to then-No. 17 Houston, fell 71-68 at home to North Dakota State and lost 83-74 to Wisconsin no. 20.

Marquette: The Golden Eagles’ second-half surge represented a return to form after being outscored 45-27 in the second half against Dayton. Marquette shot 6 of 30 from 3-point range but held a 52-24 advantage in the paint.

Key moment

After leading for just 23 seconds in the first half, Marquette pulled ahead for good when Jones found Mitchell for an inside basket with 19:14 left. It was part of a 10-0 run as Marquette scored the final basket of the first half and the first eight points of the second half.

Key statistics

Marquette entered with a negative rebounding margin for the season, but the Golden Eagles held a 38-27 edge on the boards and outscored Butler 28-7 in second chances.

Next

Both teams play Saturday, with Butler hosting No. 11 UConn and Marquette visit Xavier.