Marquette men’s basketball snuck away with a 74-55 victory over the Presbyterian College Blue Hose Saturday afternoon. This game comes after the Golden Eagles fell to the Indiana Hoosiers Wednesday. Here are three takeaways from the win:
Marquette’s slow start
For the second game in a row, Marquette has struggled with getting out to a strong start. In Saturday’s game, the Golden Eagles were shooting 1 for 7 from the field in the first five minutes and already had four fouls.
“We had the ball by the basket at least a half-a-dozen times where we missed layups,” head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “That’s the biggest problem for us right now offensively.”
Marquette shot 25 percent from the field, and Presbyterian was not much better, hitting 35 percent of shots before halftime.
Markus Howard, the team’s leading scorer entering Saturday’s game, did not score until the 9:09 mark in the first half.
“We just need to have a different mindset coming into the game,” Chartouny said. “It’s about us. It’s about how we’re going to play, how we’re going to play defense, offense (and) how we’re going to run. … We just have to have the same mindset, whether it’s a Team A, Team B or Team C.”
Lack of 3-point shooting in first half
The Golden Eagles are known for their 3-point shooting, but their perimeter shooting was not exempt from the team’s lack of productivity on offense.
“We had a least a half-a-dozen-to-eight open 3-point shots. We missed them all,” Wojciechowski said. “That’s uncharacteristic of us.”
Marquette did not have a 3-point field goal until Howard made the first three for the Golden Eagles at the 17:40 mark in the second half.
“Depending on who’s shooting (3-pointers), (we’re) probably going to make two (out of six),” Wojciechowski said.
If the right people are shooting them, we’re probably going to make three with the ability to make more than three.”
The second half was a much different story. At one point Marquette hit five straight 3-pointers to extend their lead to 55-46. Marquette finished the half with nine 3-pointers.
Joseph Chartouny demonstrates potential
Graduate student Joseph Chartouny had his best game as a Golden Eagle Saturday afternoon. He finished with 16 points, shooting 6 for 7 from the field and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc.
“You never know on a given night who is going to be the guy to step up. … Tonight, that was Joseph,” Wojciechowski said. “His poise (and) presence really settled our team down when we were rattled.”
Chartouny came in clutch when the team needed him, hitting a 3-pointer that tied the score at 43-43. From then on, Marquette captured the momentum until the end of regulation.
“You can’t just rely on scoring,” Chartouny said. “I have to find the good things that gets myself going. If it’s making a shot, I’ll try to make as many shots as possible. … When I’m myself, getting guys involved opens so many lanes for me.”
Stat of the afternoon: The Golden Eagles had a 37-12 scoring advantage in the last 12 minutes of the game.
Quote of the afternoon: “(Kansas is) a tradition rich program. They have a Hall of Fame coach. They have as much talent as anyone in the United States,” Wojciechowski said regarding the team’s first-round matchup in the National Invitation Tournament Season Tip-off. “Our team needs to be challenged. Challenges don’t get much bigger than Kansas.”
Up next: Marquette travels to Brooklyn, New York Wednesday to play in the NIT Season Tip-Off against No. 2 University of Kansas. The game is slated for 6 p.m. Central time.
