MILWAUKEE (AP) Kam Jones had 21 points and Tyler Kolek scored 19 as No. 20 Marquette defeated No. 22 Providence 83-75 on Wednesday night.

With members of Marquette's 2003 Final Four team, including former NBA great Dwyane Wade, cheering them on from the stands, the surging Golden Eagles won for the sixth time in seven games.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 13 points for Marquette. Kolek also had eight rebounds and six assists.

Marquette withstood another strong performance from Bryce Hopkins, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Friars. Hopkins, a Kentucky transfer, came in averaging 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Providence played again without Jared Bynum, sidelined with an abdominal injury. The senior point guard has missed the past three games.

The Friars (14-5, 6-2 Big East) lost their second in a row following a nine-game winning streak.

Ed Croswell led Providence with 20 points, and Devin Carter had 18.

The Golden Eagles (15-5, 7-2) avenged a 103-98 double-overtime loss to the Friars in Providence on Dec. 20 to take over second place in the conference standings behind Xavier.

Marquette led by 14 in the second half but couldn't shake the scrappy Friars. Providence pulled within five with about 50 seconds remaining before a pair of free throws by Kolek pushed the lead back to seven. Kolek sealed the game with four more free throws in the final seconds.

After leading by 11 in the first half, Marquette held a 38-31 advantage at the break as both teams shot 48%. Providence attempted just three first-half free throws, making one, while the Golden Eagles were 6 of 8 from the line. Hopkins led all scorers with 13 points in the half, although he was whistled for a technical foul midway through.

BIG PICTURE

Providence: With Bynum out, backcourt mate Noah Locke struggled. He shot just 2 of 11, including 1 for 7 from 3-point range. The Friars went 4 of 17 on 3s.

Marquette: Since joining the Big East for the 2005-06 season, Marquette is 14-3 against the Friars in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles rolled to an 88-56 victory on Jan. 12, 2022, the previous time the teams met in Milwaukee.

UP NEXT

Providence: Will host DePaul on Saturday after the Blue Demons (9-10, 3-5) beat No. 8 Xavier 73-72 Wednesday night, handing the visiting Musketeers (15-4, 7-1) their first Big East loss.

Marquette: Plays on Saturday at Seton Hall (12-8, 5-4), which edged No. 15 UConn 67-66 at home Wednesday night.

---

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.