Video: Marquette's Markus Howard Makes Big East History with 51 Points vs. USC

Marquette guard Markus Howard went off for 51 points in a 101-79 win over the USC Trojans in the Orlando Invitational semifinal on Friday:

Howard, who is averaging a Division I-leading 29.3 points per game, shot 14-of-24 from the field. He made nine of 17 three-pointers and 14 of 17 free throws.

As the NCAA March Madness Twitter account noted, he's the first player in Big East men's hoops history to score 40 or more points in back-to-back games. Howard dropped 40 against Davidson in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Howard isn't a stranger to setting Big East scoring records. His 53 points against Creighton last year broke a single-game conference scoring mark of 52 points set by himself and ex-Friar guard MarShon Brooks.

The senior could have broken his own single-game mark once again, but head coach Steve Wojciechowski took Howard out with 5:35 remaining. The matchup was in hand at that point, with a Howard and-one layup giving Marquette a 92-62 edge before the substitution.

Howard will attempt to continue his scorching-hot stretch against No. 5 Maryland in the Orlando Invitational final on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise the game.