Marquette and Wisconsin have a history of playing disproportionately close games with the best recruits in the state. But in the centennial matchup, it was anything but close.
But a pair of players from North Carolina and Arizona made the difference as Marquette routed Wisconsin, 82-63, Saturday at the Kohl Center. Marquette guards Andrew Rowsey and Markus Howard accounted for 47 of Marquette’s 82 points. Here are the floor slaps from the game:
ACCURATE FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Marquette (7-3) was deadly accurate from behind the arc, shooting 14 of 22 overall and 6 of 8 in the second half.
Marquette got out to a sizable 28-11 lead in midway through the first half, which was capped off by a steal and pull-up 3-pointer by Sam Hauser.
Marquette’s 3-point shooting didn’t let up in the second half. With 3:37 left in the game and the shot clock winding down, Markus Howard dropped a deep step-back three, giving the Golden Eagles a 77-56 lead.
“I thought our guys showed poise from the very beginning and maintained that throughout the 40 minutes, which was as good of a forty minute effort we’ve had all season,” Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “We knew it would take one of those to walk out of here with a win.”
Andrew Rowsey had 18 of his 24 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers.
In redemption from his scoreless performance last season against the Badgers, sophomore Sam Hauser finished with eight points, including 2-of-3 shooting, two rebounds, a team-high three assists and one steal.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS IS DIFFERENCE
While Wisconsin (4-7) controlled the post, scoring 34 points in the paint, the Badgers also struggled to hold onto the ball.
The Golden Eagles forced 12 turnovers, resulting in 28 points. Of those points, 14 came in the second half. Double-teaming All-American forward Ethan Happ resulted in five of the team’s 12 turnovers. The Badgers turned the ball over on 18.8 percent of their possessions.
“They did a good job of shutting off dribble-penetration,” Gard said. “(Ethan) draws a lot of attention. Marquette sent extra help to him, and whether it was a double team or some extra help, and I’ll look at the film to see what exactly, you know, why the decision was made, what resulted in the turnover and the cause and effect of it.”
The junior from Milan, Illinois had 17 points and nine rebounds, but it was his first game without a double-double performance.
Marquette also finished with three steals and five blocks.
SECOND HALF SHOTS LEAD TO IMPRESSIVE POINTS PER POSSESSION
The Golden Eagles seemed to score at will in the second half, averaging a whopping 1.302 points per possession while the Badgers managed .984 points per possession.
Marquette took smart shots, shooting 13-of-23 from the floor.
The Golden Eagles were 6 of 9 on layups while Wisconsin went just 12 of 24. The Golden Eagles were 16 of 32 in the second half and had 14 rebounds, including four offensive rebounds that resulted in nine second-chance points.
“We drove the ball more in the second half, and I thought in the first half we became impatient on the offensive end,” Wojo said. “Because of the way Wisconsin plays defense, if you are impatient, they will force you into contested two-pointers. We felt like with more ball movement, and some driving lanes would be open, and we were able to do that later in the game.”
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Marquette’s 19-point victory over the Badgers was the team’s largest margin of victory in Madison since 1958.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
“The fact of the matter is we need one of those two kids (Markus Howard or Andrew Rowsey) on the floor at all times for our offense to run, and for our team to run.” -Wojo
NEXT UP
Marquette will have the week off during final exams. Its next game is Dec. 18 against Northern Illinois.
