The No. 25/23 Marquette University men’s basketball team (22-10, 13-7 BIG EAST) continued play at the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep with a 79-63 loss vs. No. 6/5 St. John’s (29-4, 18-2 BIG EAST) on Friday night in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Guard Kam Jones led the way with 24 points and forward David Joplin chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.
Marquette maintained its narrow advantage early in the second half, but the Red Storm used a 13-5 run to take a 55-45 lead with 14:03 remaining. STJ was aided by a five-point possession during that time and guard Chase Ross picked up his third foul and was forced to the bench.
MU wasn’t done, however, eventually pulling to within 57-53 with 9:07 on the clock. The Red Storm would eventually push the lead back to double figures and Marquette wasn’t able to mount one last rally.
The Golden Eagles led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but St. John’s was able to claw its way back into the game and the score was 37-35 at the intermission in favor of Marquette. Jones got MU off to a quick start with 10 points in the opening minutes and the team moved ahead at one point 24-9. The defense forced seven turnovers and turned those miscues into nine points in the opening half.
Notables:
- The Golden Eagles made their third-straight appearance in the semifinals after three trips (2008, 2010, 2019) in the first 16 years in the league combined
- Marquette and St. Mary’s College remain the only teams in the country to feature the same starting lineup every game
- Guard Kam Jones finished with three 3-pointers and now has the fourth-highest career total (23) in BIG EAST history
- Forward David Joplin played in his 138th career game, tying Lazar Hayward for most in program history
UP NEXT:
Marquette will learn its NCAA tournament destination as an at-large selection on Sunday. March 16 at 5 p.m. CT.
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