Markus Howard’s 51 points power Marquette to victory over USC

Markus Howard did it again.

51 points from the Marquette Golden Eagles star helped lift them to a 101-79 win over the USC Trojans Friday afternoon. The victory means that the Golden Eagles are moving on in the Orlando Invitational’s winner’s bracket. And it also means that Howard has yet another 50-point outburst under his belt.

The two teams traded blows for the opening five minutes or so, getting it up to 11-11. After that though, the Golden Eagles started to get it going. Markus scored the next 11 points for the Golden Eagles and 16 points over a five-minute period. MU went on a 26-4 run over that time period and, if we want to be serious about it? The Golden Eagles outscored the Trojans 48-12 from the 15:36 mark to the 4:37 mark.

The boat racing continued on throughout the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 30 points in the first half and in the second half as well. The MOV of 22 made it a little bit more feasible. But needless to say, this was a thorough domination.

Howard’s 51 points dominated the scene but other than that, MU got a lot of contributions from a lot of other people. Nine other players who hit the floor on Friday scored at least two points and five had at least six points. Greg Elliott scored 11 points, second-most on the team behind Howard, of course, and he didn’t miss a shot from the field. Koby McEwen and Sacar Anim scored seven points apiece. Theo John and Jayce Johnson meanwhile each dropped in six points.

The dominating win for Marquette puts them in position to win the Orlando Invitational. But it will not be easy, as they’re teed up to face Anthony Cowan, Jalen Smith and the Maryland Terrapins.