#MUBB Falls 80-71 At No. 22/25 Xavier

The Marquette University men's basketball team (8-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) dropped at 80-71 decision at No. 22/25 Xavier (11-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) in the BIG EAST Conference opener for both teams.

Each of Marquette's four losses (St. Bonaventure, Wisconsin, UCLA and Xavier) has come against top-25 opponents.

The Golden Eagles were led by guard Greg Elliott's 18 points off the bench and forward Justin Lewis chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds.

Marquette trailed by as many as many as 10 points in the second half before closing the gap to 70-69 with just over two minutes left in regulation. Xavier closed on a 10-2 run to pull away for the win.

Marquette, which led by as many as nine points early in the first half, trailed 38-36 at the intermission. MU shot 40 percent from the floor and saw Xavier knock down 45.2 percent of its opportunities. Lewis finished the first half with a team-best nine points.

Notables:

Marquette is now 18-15 in league openers, including a 7-10 mark in BIG EAST action
Entering Saturday's game, only Greg Elliott had played in a BIG EAST game on the road in front of a full-capacity arena
Tyler Kolek, the BIG EAST leader in assists, was limited to just 22 minutes due to foul trouble
Forward Kur Kuath finished with four blocks, his eighth game with three-or-more swats
Elliott finished with 18 points, his second-straight game in double figures

UP NEXT: Marquette returns to Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, Dec. 21 when the team hosts nationally ranked UConn at 8 p.m. CT.
Keep up with the Marquette men's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteMBB) and Instagram (@marquette.basketball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMensBB). Fans interested in tickets can contact the Marquette Ticket Office online or at 414-288-GOMU (4668).