Marquette University Athletics
Wednesday, March 11
New York, NY
5:30 P.M. CT
Marquette University
12-20,7-13Big East
87
vs
89
Xavier (First Round)
15-17,6-14Big East
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Xavier
38
51
89
Marquette
38
49
87
Photo by: Porter Binks
#MUBB Falls 89-87 To Xavier In BIG EAST Tourney
3/11/2026 7:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Parham leads with 22 points and Phillips II adds career-best 10
The Marquette University men's basketball team (12-20) concluded its 2025-26 season in the first round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep with an 89-87 loss to Xavier (15-17) on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Sophomore forward Royce Parham finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and freshman Michael Phillips II finished with a career-high 10 points.
It remained a one possession game throughout a majority of the first part of the second half, but a Xavier 3-pointer at the 13:13 mark gave the Musketeers a 54-48 advantage and resulted in a Marquette timeout. XU continued to extend its lead with a 15-2 run and the advantage increased to double digits at the under-12 media timeout. The Golden Eagles, responded however, pulling even at 80-80 with 1:56 left, but were unable to pull ahead and Xavier made its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Xavier led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but MU used a 15-2 run late in the half to take a 34-31 lead with 4:39 on the clock. The score was tied 38-38 at the intermission thanks to nine points from Parham. The Golden Eagles shot just 39.5 percent from the floor, but held the Musketeers to just a 41.2 percent clip. Freshman Nigel James Jr. was limited to just 11 minutes after picking up two early fouls.
NOTABLES
Sophomore forward Royce Parham finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and freshman Michael Phillips II finished with a career-high 10 points.
It remained a one possession game throughout a majority of the first part of the second half, but a Xavier 3-pointer at the 13:13 mark gave the Musketeers a 54-48 advantage and resulted in a Marquette timeout. XU continued to extend its lead with a 15-2 run and the advantage increased to double digits at the under-12 media timeout. The Golden Eagles, responded however, pulling even at 80-80 with 1:56 left, but were unable to pull ahead and Xavier made its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Xavier led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but MU used a 15-2 run late in the half to take a 34-31 lead with 4:39 on the clock. The score was tied 38-38 at the intermission thanks to nine points from Parham. The Golden Eagles shot just 39.5 percent from the floor, but held the Musketeers to just a 41.2 percent clip. Freshman Nigel James Jr. was limited to just 11 minutes after picking up two early fouls.
NOTABLES
- Guard Nigel James Jr. was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year at the BIG EAST Awards Ceremony on Wednesday afternoon
- Ben Gold played in his 138th career game and is tied for second all-time (Lazar Hayward, 2006-10) at MU and Chase Ross is now sixth with 134 appearances
- Phillips II scored his first two-point basket of the season after entering the game with 15 3-pointers in 25 appearances
- Ross concluded his Marquette career with 1,177 points (41st all-time)
Team Stats
XU
Marq
FG%
.516
.425
3FG%
.348
.275
FT%
.882
.737
RB
37
39
TO
11
9
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
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