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Marquette rips St. John’s to break four-game slide

Marquette forward Sam Hauser (10) and St. John's guard LJ Figueroa compete for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Big East men's tournament, Thursday, March 14, 2019, in New York. Marquette won 86-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEW YORK (AP) — Just when it seemed No. 23 Marquette was about to let a fifth straight game slip away, Markus Howard showed everyone why he was the Big East player of the year.

Howard scored 12 of his 30 points during a game-breaking 23-2 second-half run, and the Golden Eagles routed St. John’s 86-54 in the conference quarterfinals Thursday night to stop their four-game slide.

It was the most points scored by a Marquette player in the Big East Tournament, breaking the old mark of 28 set by Jerel McNeal against Notre Dame in 2008.

“Markus is Big East player of the year for a reason, and it’s not just because he can score,” coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “You’re talking about a complete player, who every team’s game plan is geared to stop him. What he’s been able to do this year is fantastic. It’s hard when you command that much attention from a defense to make a great decision every time, especially when the ball is in your hand a lot, but he’s done that more times than not.”

Second-seeded Marquette (24-8) advanced to its first Big East semifinal since 2010. It will face No. 3 seed Seton Hall, a 73-57 winner over No. 6 seed Georgetown in the late quarterfinal at Madison Square Garden. The Golden Eagles and Pirates split two meetings during the regular season.

“All week we have been telling him (Howard) to just be yourself and don’t overthink it and play,” said teammate Sam Hauser, who had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “He went out there and played and made a lot of great plays for himself and others. When all the attention is on him, he knows when to kick and pass. He showed it tonight.”

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