On the game, Marquette made 34 of 69 field goals as well as going 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. Novak led the team in 3-point shooting, hitting three of four triples.
Two players missing from the action were junior transfer Marcus Jackson and senior Scott Merritt. Merritt sat out the action while he continued to let his shoulder heal from surgery. On the other hand, Jackson rolled his ankle a few weeks ago and is still not feeling 100 percent. The ankle has not slowed his progression with the team, however.
“It’s feeling pretty good,” Jackson said. “I’m gelling with the team pretty good. I fit in well with the core. I’m just trying to get better and do whatever I can for the team to win. I’ve been learning from the coaches and my teammates every day.”
In the Golden Eagles’ next contest, a Friday showdown with Perez Zeledon, Diener and freshman James Matthews sparked an 89-51 drubbing.
Matthews, a 6-foot-8 forward, almost nabbed a double double with 10 points and nine rebounds. He led a strong team rebounding effort that saw 55 rebounds, including 20 boards. Diener added a team-leading 18 points.
On Saturday, Marquette really established itself in the first game of a doubleheader, trouncing the Nicaraguan national team 106-52.
The outburst was capitalized by a strong shooting performance as the Golden Eagles went 41-of-61 from the floor for a gaudy 67.2 percent. Once again, Matthews flourished, scoring 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds — both team highs. Diener also had another big effort with 16 points, seven assists and three steals.
Three other players scored in double figures. Sophomore Karon Bradley had 12, while Chapman and freshman Dameon Mason added 10. Another sophomore, Chris Grimm had nine points and five rebounds.
“Some of the baskets we got today were misleading,” head coach Tom Crean told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m more excited about the baskets we got off offensive rebounds, penetration and drop-offs and us executing our sets. The level of competition is certainly not the strongest by any stretch of the imagination, but they had some solid players that we needed to try and take out of the game, and I thought we did that.”
In the last game of the trip, Marquette fell behind early, 9-2, but stormed back to finish off the Costa Rican national team in impressive fashion, 82-51.
The win was spearheaded by Diener’s 21 points and five assists. Chapman once against proved to be a reliable scoring option with 12 points. The team also took advantage of it’s free throws, going 24-of-28 from the charity stripe.
“You really want to be undefeated but what’s more important is what you learn each game,” Crean told the Journal Sentinel. “The great thing about this trip is the team became closer. Individually they were able to learn that they can play through fatigue, adversity and stretches where things aren’t going so well. As a team they learned to trust each other more on the floor.”
Fans will be able to see the team for the first time this Saturday at Marquette Madness.
The free event will be held at the U.S. Cellular Arena, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. with doors opening at 9 p.m.