 beat the Golden Eagles despite 38 points from Markus Howard. Marquette (17-9, 7-7) lost its third in a row.''We started 1-3 and we didn't give up then. I don't see why we'd give up now,'' coach Steve Wojciechowski said. ''Losing's going to happen. We've got to figure out how we can get our mojo back so we can win some games.'' AJ Reeves added 11 points for Providence, which held a double-digit lead for all but 39 seconds of the game's last 26:29. Howard scored 19 of his points after the Golden Eagles trailed 71-50 with 5:13 to play.''I'm really happy I'll never see him in this building again,'' said Cooley, who noted that Howard scored 52 at Providence two seasons ago. ''I'm just glad we're done with him until hopefully the Big East finals.'' Howard shot 10 for 25 from the field and had just one assist for Marquette, which had four assists and 18 turnovers in all.Providence led by as many as 17 in the first half thanks to its 3-point shooting (8 for 15) and 17 points from Pipkins. Marquette cut the lead to nine, 52-43, midway through the second before the Friars scored six straight points and the Golden Eagles never got within single digits again.It was 62-50 when Providence scored nine in a row, the last five on a basket and a three-point play by Duke.''I thought that was game,'' Cooley said. ''There just wasn't enough time on the clock, even with Superman on the other team.'' Pipkins, a graduate transfer from UMass, had one point and zero assists at Marquette on Jan. 7, when the Friars won 81-80 in overtime.''He was in foul trouble in our place, so we didn't see the real Pipkins,'' Wojciechowski said. ''A lot of times when you transfer, it takes a while to get used to your role.'' The Friars have won three straight overall and have beaten then-No. 16 Butler, then-No. 21 Creighton and then-No. 10 Seton Hall since Feb. 1.''It's a long road but it comes fast,'' said Providence forward Kalif Young, who scored 10 points. ''You've got to understand that every game counts. We're in the stretch, so every game counts even more.'' BIG PICTUREMarquette: The Golden Eagles dipped into The Associated Press Top 25 at No. 18 on Feb. 10 and have lost three in a row. Though the first two were to higher-ranked teams Villanova and Creighton, the loss at Providence will certainly drop them out of the rankingsProvidence: The Friars are fourth in the Big East and the top unranked team in the conference. They are 4-4 against ranked teams this season and have beaten four ranked teams for the first time since 2015-16. They beat seven ranked teams in 1972-73.''They're playing like a desperate team,'' Wojciechowski said. ''Ed's done a great job of rallying his team since the nonconference.'' UP NEXTMarquette: Hosts Georgetown on Wednesday.Providence: At No. 12 Villanova on Saturday.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 21, 2020Regaining its winning touch will not come easy for No. 19 Marquette -- not with a road game against resurgent Big East rival Providence on tap Saturday.The Golden Eagles (17-8, 7-6) will be well rested, having played just once in 10 days entering Saturday, but that lone contest was a 73-65 home loss to No. 15 Creighton on Tuesday.It was the second consecutive defeat for Marquette, which also lost 72-71 to then-No. 15 Villanova on Feb. 12.The Golden Eagles do not have to face a ranked team this time around, but Providence is starting to play like one. The Friars (15-12, 8-6) are not only ahead of Marquette by a half game in the Big East standings, they are the only team in the top six of the conference that isn't ranked.Providence is coming off consecutive victories, getting the best of Georgetown 73-63 on the road Wednesday after an inspired 74-71 victory Saturday over Seton Hall, ranked No. 10 at the time.Marquette's Markus Howard was held to 13 points in the defeat to Creighton while shooting 4 of 14 from the field. Howard no longer leads the nation in scoring, but still delivers a healthy 26.7 points per game."We had some wide-open shots that we didn't make," Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters after the Creighton game. "Teams are obviously making it harder on Markus to get any easy shots. We're going to need some other guys to step up." One thing Howard has going for him is that Providence is where he scored a then-Big East record 52 points in a 2018 game. Nonetheless, it wouldn't hurt the Golden Eagles to get more scoring, especially from the likes of Sacar Anim (13.3 points per game) and Koby McEwen (10.6). Anim had a team-high 18 against Creighton.Providence leading scorer Alpha Diallo, in the midst of an up-and-down senior season, appears to have his confidence back following some recent struggles that included a scoreless game on Jan. 25 against Villanova.Diallo has combined for 53 points in the Friars' back-to-back wins and is averaging 20 points per game over his last five contests following a one-game demotion out of the starting lineup on Feb. 5.In the victory over Georgetown on Wednesday, Diallo had 18 points while Luwane Pipkins added 16 as the Friars bounced back after opening the game 0 of 7 from the field. Providence's defense was the difference as it held the Hoyas without a field goal for more than a 13-minute stretch in the second half."I've been telling the guys the game is a long game so just continue to stay dialed in and trust one another," Providence head coach Ed Cooley said. "Then keep defending. Our offense will come but if we defend we're going to give ourselves a chance." It will be the second meeting this season between Marquette and Providence after the teams played an overtime thriller at Milwaukee on Jan. 7. Providence won that one 81-80 but then proceeded to lose four of its next five, with all of the defeats to ranked teams. Marquette lost despite 39 points from Howard, including 27 after halftime.--Field Level Media
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