BY BRENDAN MCGAIR Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Kam Jones had 18 points and 10 assists to lead a balanced Marquette offense as the No. 8 Golden Eagles cruised to a 78-50 win over Providence on Tuesday night. Stevie Mitchell added 14 points on 5-8 shooting for Marquette, which made 11 threes. David Joplin and Zaide Lowry each had 11 points for the Golden Eagles (12-2, 3-0 Big East). They were up 47-20 at halftime and led by as many as 32 points during the closing stages. Wesley Cardet had 11 points off the bench for Providence (7-7, 1-2). The Friars shot 34% from the field. Takeaways Marquette: With former Marquette All-American/current New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek watching from a baseline seat, the Golden Eagles concluded December winning three straight – all over Big East opponents – after opening the month dropping two of their first three games. Providence: Bryce Hopkins missed his third straight game. The All-Big East forward went through pregame warmups – something he didn’t do in the previous two games he sat out. Nearly one full calendar year removed from suffering an ACL surgery that required surgery, Hopkins returned to the Friar lineup on Dec. 3 against BYU and appeared in three consecutive games before suffering a setback. Key moment Marquette used a 21-0 surge to wipe out Providence’s 8-2 run that opened the game. During that stretch, the Golden Eagles were aided by nine Friar turnovers that translated into 16 points. Key stat Winning in Providence for the first time since 2019, Marquette forced 14 turnovers in the first half, 22 for the game. Those turnovers directly led to 27 points for the Golden Eagles. Up next Marquette returns home to host Creighton on Friday. Providence visits No. 11 UConn on Sunday. Categories: College Sports, Sports Tags: PC Friars, Providence College