Another strong performance from junior guard Travis Diener paced the Marquette victory. In 34 minutes of action he totaled 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five assists and five turnovers. Most importantly, he made some tough shots when the Golden Eagles (4-0) were floundering.

Diener scored his team’s first points with a running layup. About 45 seconds later he injured his knee and limped around during a stoppage, only to drain a three-pointer the next time down court.

Senior forward Scott Merritt struggled from the field, constantly being harassed by a surprisingly effective Wildcats’ zone. Nonetheless, he did contribute a double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while going 5-for-16 from the floor.

The Golden Eagles’ second leading scorer was sophomore forward Steve Novak with 14 points. He struggled from beyond the arc for the second straight game, going 2-for-8, but hit several key buckets in the paint. On the night he made 6-of-13 shots, grabbed five boards and doled out four assists.

“I thought we fought and battled as much as we could,” said Northern Michigan head coach Dean Ellis. “Diener made some big shots, Novak made some big shots. They really got to us on the offensive board. They seemed to get a couple of put backs that were big. Their size and strength wore us down on that stretch. We did what we could do to fight the battle.

“I would imagine they would see a little bit of zone. The zone hurt them at St. John’s a little bit. The zone hurt them tonight a little bit.”

Marquette did hurt the Wildcats on the boards, outrebounding its opponent, 46-21. There was especially a discrepancy on the offensive side, 19-5. A major contributor in the paint was freshman swingman Dameon Mason, who provided a much-needed spark to a Marquette squad that was playing in its third game in four days.

“We looked good at the walkthrough today,” Crean said. “We didn’t go very long yesterday. We’ve got guys that want to play at the next level. Their teammate just played five games in seven days on the road in Dwyane Wade. It’s the way it is. If you want to keep playing after college. If you want to get into tournament settings, you’ve got to learn to do this. The good news is we got three wins.

“(Dameon) continues to get better. We need him to get more consistent. Consistent in his effort—consistent in his running—consistent in his rebounding. That was a heck of a thing tonight. He got what, nine rebounds, nine points. That’s pretty good.”

With just under 11 minutes remaining, Mason ignited the Marquette when he stole an outlet pass and took it back for a layup. On the shot he was fouled and also hit the eventual free throw, putting his team up 47-39. At the 10-minute mark he tipped in a missed Merritt shot, extending the lead to 10. He finished his flourish with an alley-oop lay in from Diener, leaving the score at 56-39.

In the waning moments of the game, sophomore guard Karon Bradley collided with some other players and sprawled to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Crean and the trainers ran out to his aid and helped him up after a minute or so. The coach even wiped the wet spot from the floor, garnering applause from the audience.

“He hit his shoulder,” Crean said about the injury. “I didn’t see it, exactly what happened. He was complaining about that right shoulder. He’ll get better; that’s his shooting hand, and he’ll be fine. I’ll be shocked if he’s not.”

Marquette is back in action next Monday at home against No. 21 Notre Dame. The 8 p.m. contest will be televised on ESPN 2.