Career-high 27 from Ross leads #MUBB past Georgetown, 74-66

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE - A career-high 27 points and six steals from junior guard Chase Ross helped the No. 7/6 Marquette University men's basketball team overcome a 14-point first half deficit for a 74-66 win over Georgetown on Tuesday evening at Fiserv Forum.

The Golden Eagles (14-2, 5-0 BIG EAST) scored the first seven points in the second half and erased a nine-point deficit at the break with a 16-4 run following halftime. Senior guard Kam Jones converted a three-point play to tie things, 42-42, and David Joplin hit a 3-pointer to give MU its first lead of the second, 45-42, with 13:47 to play.

Ross poured in 17 second half points, converting four free throws following his fifth and sixth steals of the night in the final 46 seconds of play.

Malik Mack led four Georgetown players in double digits with 18 points, while Micah Peavy added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Four-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Thomas Sorber notched a double-double for the Hoyas (12-3, 3-1 BIG EAST) with 11 points, 13 rebounds, in addition to five blocks and three assists.

NOTABLE:

Marquette leads the all-time series against Georgetown, 24-14, and is 15-3 against the Hoyas in Milwaukee.
MU has started BIG EAST play 4-0 for the third time in program history and the first time since 2012-13.
MU improves to 5-1 this season when trailing at the half.
Tuesday's 14-point deficit is MU's largest in a victory this season.Marquette trailed by as many as 14 points twice in the first half, last at 35-21 at the 4:06 mark.
MU trailed by nine at the half, tying it with a Dec. 4 road loss at then-No. 6/5 Iowa State for its largest halftime deficit of the season.
Ross notched a new career best with his fourth triple of the game midway through the second half to give MU a 54-50 lead.
Ross hit a free throw with 46.6 seconds remaining to push him to a new career-best scoring output of 24 points. Ross was sent to the line after swiping the ball at midcourt from Georgetown's Malik Mack as the Hoyas looked to tie the game with MU up two, 66-64. Ross sunk both free throws and MU pulled away.
The previous career high of 23 points for Ross was set in the season opener on Nov. 4 against Stony Brook.
Tuesday's game pitted the BIG EAST's top two leaders in steals in MU's Stevie Mitchell (1st, 2.6 spg) and Micah Peavy (2nd, 2.5 spg).
Mitchell notched three steals, while MU's Ben Gold had a career-high four in addition to six for Ross. MU had 16 steals in the win, its second-highest total of the season (19 vs. Central Michigan on Nov. 11.
Gold tied a career-best mark with four blocks (also recorded on Nov. 8 against George Mason).

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles have their first BIG EAST Conference weekend bye of the season before returning to action on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at DePaul.