For the second time in as many games, Marquette (23-5, 12-3 Big East) got off to a quick start en route to an 82-65 victory over Rutgers (12-16, 4-11 Big East) on Wednesday night.
After blitzing Connecticut to the tune of a 43-27 first half lead on Saturday, the Golden Eagles made a 21-6 run just 5:09 into the game, making eight of their first nine shots (88.9 percent).
Coach Buzz Williams was not particularly impressed with how Marquette handled the next few minutes after its fast start, pointing to the way the team played at LSU, when it got off to a 13-0 start but eventually lost.
“As much that has been said about our slow starts, we haven’t been really good on our fast starts either,” Williams said. “You think about our response after that fast start. I guess maybe it’s better to start fast than slow, but I didn’t think we were very good the next five minutes after those five good ones.”
Senior forward Jae Crowder scored nine of those 21 points and made all three of his shots in the early going. Crowder finished with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting after tying his previous career high of 29 against the Huskies.
“I’m just trying to win the game,” Crowder said of his recent strong performances. “I’m aware of (how well I am playing), the guys are aware of it, but we’re just trying to do whatever to win the game.”
After Marquette’s early run, Rutgers responded with a 12-6 run of its own to draw within 27-18 with 11:55 remaining in the first half.
The teams went back and forth the rest of the first half, with Marquette eventually carrying a 46-35 lead to the locker room after the first 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagles shot 55.2 percent from the field and outscored the Scarlet Knights 18-4 in points off turnovers in the first half. Rutgers turned the ball over 14 times in the first half and allowed 31 fast-break points to Marquette over the course of the game.
“Their whole team was tremendous on the break,” Rutgers coach Mike Rice said. “If you can’t stop somebody from putting their head down and scoring layups, you’re not going to be very successful, and we weren’t tonight.”
Senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom led Marquette with 19 points in the first half on 7-of-12 shooting and finished the game with 21 points.
Marquette seemed to get a bit complacent at times in the second half, allowing Rutgers to hang close on a few different occasions.
Layups by freshman forward Derrick Randall and junior forward Dane Miller drew the Scarlet Knights within six with 12:51, but three layups by Crowder gave Marquette a 64-52 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
Two free throws by sophomore guard Vander Blue gave the Golden Eagles a 68-54 lead with 9:06 left to essentially ice the game. Blue joined Johnson-Odom and Crowder in double digits with 10 points.
Rutgers was led by freshman guard Jerome Seagears’ 14 points.
The Golden Eagles shot 53.6 percent for the game and had 18 assists on 30 made baskets (60 percent), a typical indicator of the team’s success. According to Ken Pomeroy’s advanced statistics, Marquette came into the game second in the nation in terms of assist percentage at 65.5 percent.
The Golden Eagles were also able to outscore the Scarlet Knights by 14 points from the free throw line. In fact, Marquette attempted 24 free throws compared to just three for Rutgers.
The 12th Big East win ties a team-best since Marquette joined the Big East in 2005. But Marquette has three difficult tests awaiting to end the season, starting with West Virginia on the road tomorrow.
