Marquette’s scrimmage against Rockhurst went exactly as you’d expect, especially when factoring in the Golden Eagles’ Division II opponent played last night against DePaul. The Golden Eagles handled Rockhurst, 106-53. You have to take everything with a grain of salt, but the scrimmage at least offers another chance to see how coach Steve Wojciechowski is using players and the style of the new additions. With nearly every player seeing the floor for about 15 to 20 minutes, we got a good look at the whole squad.
Howard gets a chance
The Golden Eagles’ starting lineup was the expected one, minus Markus Howard in at point guard in place of expected starter Traci Carter. He missed a 3-point shot on Marquette’s first possession and fouled on their second defensive possession, but settled down from there. He went 5 for 8 for a team-leading 17 points with four rebounds and two assists.
Small ball lineups
Marquette ran a three-guard system after its second round of substitutions, playing Carter, Andrew Rowsey and Duane Wilson at the same time. Rowsey, Wilson and Haanif Cheatham saw the floor together as well.
Sam Hauser spent time at center despite the team listing the 6-foot-7 freshman as a guard. He had a particularly solid outing, going 5 for 11 for 12 points in addition to six rebounds and an assist. It’s tough to make too much of his effectiveness at center since Rockhurst doesn’t have a player over 6-foot-7.
“He adjusts pretty quickly to everything,” Wojciechowski said. “Obviously he’s not the prototypical center, but you can have foul trouble in games. You have to figure out ways to get your best guys on the court.”
3-point shooting
With the quality of shooters Marquette has, it wasn’t surprising to see success from beyond the line tonight. The Golden Eagles did a good job creating space on the perimeter in the first half, and thus shot 46 percent from downtown. Rowsey shot 2 for 3 in the first frame, while Hauser, Carter, Cohen and Reinhardt each made a 3-point basket.
Although the Golden Eagles’ success went down slightly in the second, the Golden Eagles still finished 42.9 percent for the game. Howard went 4 for 6, while Rowsey shot 3 for 6.
The key for the Golden Eagles outside was not forcing shots. Marquette had 29 assists on 42 made baskets.
“Our offense really moved the ball,” Wojciechowski said. “One of the things we’ve really talked about offensively is that the ball has got to find the best shot. On any given night, that can be a different guy.”
Strong ball movement helped open up plenty of space for Marquette’s lethal outside weapons.
“We have a lot of shooters,” Hauser said. “That’s kind of a different look from last year. We’re going to be able to put up points this year.”
Foul trouble
However, it wasn’t all peachy for the Golden Eagles. Marquette had 20 personal fouls and four players had three or more. Wilson picked up his fourth with six minutes left in the game.
“We have to play our defense hard without fouling,” Wojciechowski said. “We’re not where we need to be in that respect.”
Wojo on Sacar Anim redshirting
“It was a discussion that I had with Sacar and his family. I think it was in his best interest for his development. He’s a young guy. He’s over a year younger than the other guys in the sophomore class. We have a lot of perimeter players. He’s a guy who can be a valuable asset to our program, but he needs to use this year to continue to get better as a player, stronger as an athlete. I think it’s a really good decision for his development.”
Best stat line
Sandy Cohen: 5 for 5 for 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal
Stat of the Night: Marquette outscored Rockhurst 30-0 in points off turnovers.
Attendance: 7,975
Next up: Marquette opens the regular season Friday against Vanderbilt in a neutral site game. The matchup, part of the Veterans Classic, will be played in Annapolis, Maryland at 5:30 p.m. CBS Sports has the broadcast.
