Marquette got the win it needed — and a big one at that — when it knocked off No. 8 Providence on the road Tuesday night. Credit: Getty Images

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Marquette got the win it needed — and a big one at that — when it knocked off No. 8 Providence on the road Tuesday night.

While that victory may prove to be a pivotal one in the Golden Eagles' season, it won't mean much if they don't string wins together. That's why the squad's collective focus remains on starting a new win streak as it heads into Saturday's 1 p.m. game against St. John's (7-9, 0-3 Big East) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

After riding a nine-game win streak into conference play, Marquette (11-4, 1-2) looked lousy in double-digit losses in its first two Big East games. The Golden Eagles disappeared in the second half on the way to a 20-point home loss to Seton Hall and didn't reappear until they were down 19 on the road against Georgetown.

During that 40-minute stretch spanning two games, Marquette was outscored by 34 points, outrebounded by 19, had 14 turnovers compared to eight assists and shot 31.1% while its opponents shot 55.0%.

The only positive outcome of that stretch was coach Steve Wojciechowski holding a meeting after the Georgetown game. He took his players to task for their play, but individual players also got up and spoke their minds about how things were going.

"We told each other, we've done it before, we've played hard before, we've played together before and it was time to get back to our ways," guard Haanif Cheatham said.

"Just get back to the winning ways, having a winning mentality going into the game," freshman forward Henry Ellenson added. "Don't focus on individuals, just focus on the team and getting back to the fighting effort, being hungry."

Marquette followed that meeting with a strong yet somewhat sloppy start against Providence. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 12 points in the first half but also committed 12 turnovers before showing their resolve by holding on down the stretch for the one-point victory.

"We did so much talking it was more of a walk the walk," redshirt sophomore Duane Wilson, who scored the game-winning basket Tuesday, said about the team's meeting.

"I'm a leader on the team so I always have something to say, and the key thing was if I'm going to talk the talk I've got to walk the walk and follow those actions."

Now, after playing up to its competition, Marquette faces the more familiar challenge of not playing down.

St. John's has undergone extreme changes since last season. Chris Mullin returned to his alma mater as the head coach March 30 and spent the summer essentially creating a team from scratch.

The Red Storm graduated four seniors from a rotation that went only about eight deep. Then over the summer rising junior Rysheed Jordan left to chase the NBA dream amid academic concerns, and rising senior center Chris Obeka announced he would transfer.

Following a recruiting-heavy summer, Mullin's team now features four freshman rotation players, a trio of upperclassmen who played sparingly last year and a pair of graduate transfers in Durand Johnson (from Pittsburgh) and Ron Mvouika (from Missouri State).

The early results haven't been pretty, with the Red Storm riding a six-game losing streak entering Saturday. That skid started with a 22-point loss to Incarnate Word and a nine-point loss to NJIT — both at home. St. John's offense has been especially bad, ranking 320th in the country in efficiency.

Freshman Federico Mussini, a 6-foot-1 guard from Reggio Emilia, Italy, has been one of the bright spots. Mussini is averaging 13.1 points per game and had 19 in a 74-66 loss to Xavier on Wednesday — a game that the Red Storm trailed by just two with 1:19 left.

"They had a pretty good lead and we battled and competed and didn't give up," Mullin said after that loss. "I tell my guys we're going to break through if we keep competing, keep practicing and focus on that."

Marquette has no intention of letting St. John's claim a reward. The Golden Eagles, who have lost four in a row to the Red Storm, are intent on using their victory over Providence as a springboard to bigger goals.

"Even though we got this win (at Providence) we still haven't done much yet," Ellenson said. "We still have a lot to be hungry for and a lot more we want to do."

SATURDAY

St. John's

at Marquette

When: 1 p.m.

TV: FSWis

Radio:AM-540