Marquette advanced through the first two rounds of the Big East men’s basketball tournament Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Madison Square Garden.

The No. 11-seeded Golden Eagles routed Providence 87-66 in the first round and beat No. 6 West Virginia 67-61 in the second round.

Freshman forward Davante Gardner (King’s Fork) posted nine points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes versus Providence.

The 6-foot-8 Gardner had 10 points and three boards in 16 minutes against WVU. Gardner scored eight points, including two three-point plays in the paint, in the last 16 minutes of play, helping Marquette turn around a 10-point deficit.

The two wins are boosts to Marquette’s NCAA Tournament chances. Marquette (20-13) took on No. 3 Louisville Thursday night in New York City.

No. 7 Cincinnati entered the tournament Wednesday and routed No. 15 South Florida 87-61.

Sophomore guard JaQuon Parker (King’s Fork) had five points for the Bearcats. UC (25-7) played No. 2 Notre Dame Thursday night.

Longwood improved its softball record to 12-3 with a doubleheader sweep at Virginia Tuesday. The Lady Lancers claimed a 2-1 win and a 10-8 win.

Junior infielder Leigh Sexton (King’s Fork) knocked a pinch-hit RBI single during the second game, aiding a rally that took a 2-1 Longwood lead up to 5-1 in the fourth inning.

Sexton’s played in 10 games and is hitting .364.

Longwood is spending Friday-Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Lady Lancers are in the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament over the weekend before playing an exhibition game against Tokyo Women’s College of P.E. Monday and a game against the University of Hawaii Tuesday.