CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Xavier outgunned Marquette 96-88 in a Big East men’s basketball game Saturday at Cintas Center. The Musketeers used a 51-point first half to build a cushion and held off a second-half push from the Golden Eagles before an announced crowd of 9,924.

Nigel James led all scorers with 30 points and 12 assists for Marquette. Royce Parham added 24 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier countered with balanced scoring, led by Filip Borovicanin’s 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Jovan Milicevic scored 23 points and All Wright added 19 for the Musketeers.

Xavier improved to 13-12 overall. Marquette fell to 9-17.