The Golden Eagles (10-4, 1-1 Big East) split their first conference games at home before tough road games against Providence and Villanova next week.
There are no such things as style points in the Big East standings.
So Marquette will be happy with the 74-65 victory over Georgetown at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday in a game that often wasn't easy on the eyes.
The Golden Eagles (10-4, 1-1 Big East) split their first conference games at home before two tough road games against Providence and Villanova next week.
"One thing I was proud of is that we were able to win a game where we shot 38%. That obviously was a step forward," MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "I thought we were physical on defense; forcing 25 turnovers was a positive development. I thought our guys were connected defensively."
Senior guard Andrew Rowsey scored 35 points to lead MU, including 26 in the second half.
The Golden Eagles' 40 points in the second half all came on three-pointers (8 of 24) and free throws (16 of 20).
Rowsey sealed the victory on a running three-pointer with just under a minute left in the game to give the Golden Eagles a 72-63 lead.
Rowsey reached the 30-point mark for the second straight game. His 35 points were the most by a MU player since Matt Carlino had 38 against Georgia Tech on Nov. 27, 2014.
Rowsey was 11 off 11 on free throws.
"That's Andrew Rowsey. He's a great player, one of the best scorers in the country," sophomore forward Sacar Anim said. "I think he's one of the best point guards in the country, easily. Very underrated passer. He's a leader for us."
Anim had a solid all-around game with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Junior forward Marcus Derrickson had 20 points to lead the Hoyas (10-3, 1-1).
The Golden Eagles were able to hold Georgetown junior center Jessie Govan to 11 points, eight below his average. He also had 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.
"Our big guys did a great job of defending them as well as everyone around them did a great job of supporting those guys," Anim said. "We trapped them, I thought they couldn't get too much off. That's what caused a problem with the turnovers, I think, when we read the post."
MU sophomore guard Markus Howard had 13 points on 4 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 7 on threes.
Howard has been mired in a shooting slump over MU's last three games, making 14 of 44 shots (6 of 22 on threes). Before that he had five straight games of scoring 23 or more points.
"He's going to get it back around. He's the best shooter in the country," Anim said. "Everybody goes through those slumps once in a while. He's going to keep shooting it. As long as he keeps attacking the basket and seeing some of those easy baskets go in, shots are going to fall."
Howard also picked up two fouls in the first 8 minutes and 16 seconds. Early foul trouble has plagued him all season, though he still managed to play 14 minutes in the first half.
Fouls and Georgetown's sloppiness with the ball (14 turnovers) contributed to a choppy first half. The Hoyas got 12 of their 27 first-half points on free throws, including three by Govan after he was fouled by MU freshman center Theo John while shooting beyond the arc with one second left.