MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kam Jones scored 23 points and No. 9 Marquette committed just two turnovers in an 80-70 victory over Butler on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.
Marquette (10-2, 1-0) had its lowest turnover total since Jan. 8, 2011, when it also had two turnovers in an 89-81 loss at Pittsburgh, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell scored 15 points each for Marquette, which rallied from a 35-32 halftime deficit.
The Golden Eagles bounced back three nights after squandering a 13-point lead in a 71-63 loss at Dayton.
Butler (7-5, 0-1) lost its fourth straight despite shooting 51.1% from the floor.
Jahmyl Telfort and Kolby King scored 16 points each for Butler. Patrick McCaffery had 13.
Butler: The Bulldogs are struggling through a demanding stretch, as three of their losses in this skid came against Top 25 teams. Butler lost 79-51 to then-No. 17 Houston, fell 71-68 at home to North Dakota State and lost 83-74 to then-No 20 Wisconsin.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles’ second-half surge represented a return to form after they got outscored 45-27 in the second half against Dayton. Marquette shot 6 of 30 from 3-point range but had a 52-24 advantage in the paint.
After leading for only 23 seconds in the first half, Marquette pulled ahead for good when Jones found Mitchell for an inside basket with 19:14 left. That was part of a 10-0 run, as Marquette scored the final basket of the first half and the first eight points of the second half.
Marquette entered with a negative rebound margin for the season, but the Golden Eagles had a 38-27 edge on the boards and outscored Butler 28-7 in second-chance points.
Both teams play Saturday, with Butler hosting No. 11 UConn and Marquette visiting Xavier.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
