Marquette's Markus Howard ties Big East record by erupting for 52 points

Halfway through overtime Wednesday night at Providence, Marquette’s Markus Howard had a spot-up right-wing 3-pointer clang off the rim.

It was such a rare sight that it drew a Bronx cheer from a smattering of frustrated Friars fans.

Howard certainly didn’t miss often during Marquette’s 95-90 overtime victory. The skilled 5-foot-11 guard erupted for a 52 points, tying the Big East’s single-game scoring record set by Providence’s Marshon Brooks seven years ago and shattering Marquette’s previous single-game scoring record of 44 points set by Tony Smith in 1990 and Mike Moran in 1958.

What was especially impressive about Howard’s scoring barrage was how efficient he was shooting the ball. The sophomore finished 17 of 29 from the floor, 11 of 19 from behind the arc and 7-for-7 from the foul line, doing most of his damage on driving layups, catch-and-shoot threes or even the occasional step-back deep ball.

There were few signs Howard was poised for such a memorable performance in the days leading up to Wednesday’s game. While Howard is one of the Big East’s premier perimeter scorers, the sophomore arrived in Providence mired in a rare slump, having shot 14-for-43 from the field during the Golden Eagles’ previous three games.

Howard didn’t bust out immediately. He was 2-for-8 from the field at halftime.

But from there the shots started falling, one after another after another. Howard finished regulation with 42 points, none bigger than the 3-pointer and three-point play he tallied in the final 90 seconds to erase a late six-point Providence lead.

Howard added 10 more points in overtime, reaching 50 on a step-back right-corner 3-pointer and then 52 on a deft driving layup. It was actually teammate Sam Hauser who had the game-clinching basket though, a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left that extended Marquette’s lead to five.

This was an important road win for a Marquette team with NCAA tournament aspirations. The Golden Eagles (11-4, 2-1) secured decent non-conference wins against VCU, LSU and Wisconsin, however, they have plenty of work to do in Big East play to put themselves in good position entering March.

More performances like Wednesday’s from Howard can only help. The sophomore could scarcely miss after halftime, and he made history as a result.

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Jeff Eisenberg is a college basketball writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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