The game did not start off well for Xavier, as they didn’t score until nearly four minutes into the game and then failed to score for another two and a half minutes after that. Xavier only had seven points after eight minutes.
After getting down 17-7, Tyrique Jones made a free throw to bring the deficit back under single digits. Xavier only made one more free throw while Marquette pushed the lead back out to 23-9 with 7:47 left until halftime.
Xavier was able to find some footing on offense over the next few minutes, making 4-7 shots after starting 2-14.