Anim sparks Marquette to double OT win over Xavier
CINCINNATI — Marquette’s Markus Howard reached a career milestone with his 2,500th point before suffering a head injury Wednesday night, but Sacar Anim scored a career-high 28 points as the Golden Eagles rallied for an 84-82, double-overtime victory over Xavier.
Howard became the 72nd player in NCAA history to score 2,500 career points. He’s 14 points away from his brother Jordan, who had 2,524 at Central Arkansas from 2015-18.
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Marquette’s shooting star went to the locker room for a medical exam after getting hit in the head with 11:15 left in regulation. He finished with 18 points.
The Golden Eagles (15-6, 5-4 Big East) pulled it out behind Anim and Koby McEwen, who scored 17 straight points for Marquette after Howard left the game. McEwen finished with 18.
It was the second straight overtime game on the road for Marquette, which lost at No. 13 Butler 89-85 on Saturday.
Quentin Goodin scored 19 points for Xavier (13-8, 2-6 Big East). Tyrique Jones had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Naji Marshall scored 16 for Xavier, hitting a long 3 that tied it at the end of regulation and a pair of free throws late in the first overtime that made it 68-68. He fouled out in the second overtime.
Anim scored off a drive and hit a 3-pointer that put Marquette ahead to stay 79-76 in the second overtime. His free throw with 2.3 seconds left made it 84-82, and Xavier couldn’t get off a final shot.
BIG PICTURE
Marquette: The Golden Eagles got a rejuvenating win, pulling out a second straight overtime game on the road without Howard.
Xavier: The Musketeers played with two starters recovering from injuries. Marshall banged a knee during a loss at Creighton on Sunday and failed to score in the first half against Marquette, taking only two shots. Goodin missed the last two games with a knee injury.
UP NEXT
Marquette plays three of its next four at home, starting with a game against DePaul on Saturday.
Xavier plays at Seton Hall on Saturday. The Musketeers lost to Seton Hall 83-71 at the Cintas Center on Jan. 8.
