Graduate transfer Joseph Chartouny was not known for his perimeter shooting in Marquette men’s basketball’s first three games.
That changed Saturday when Chartouny hit three 3-pointers to help No. 24 Marquette avoid an upset against the Presbyterian Blue Hose, winning 74-55.
Before the game, Chartouny was a combined 0 for 3 from three.
Marquette was trailing the Blue Hose 43-37 in the second half with 12 minutes remaining and was shooting 1 of 16 from three.
“There was enormous game pressure,” head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “It felt like at that point Presbyterian really thought they could win the game.”
Then the Golden Eagles hit eight of their next nine 3-pointers, three of which came from Chartouny, to take a 66-51 lead.
“When you see the ball go in, it helps you feel good and it helps your confidence go up,” Chartouny said. “I kept working on my jump shot and kept on shooting threes after practice. I knew it was going to come.”
That included the game-tying 3-pointer, bringing the score to 43-43.
“I didn’t even know I tied it up,” Chartouny said.
Presbyterian could not cut the lead to single digits again after the threes started to fall.
Chartouny and junior Sam Hauser combined to score 28 points in the second half, one point fewer than the entire Blue Hose team after intermission.
“The strength of our team is our team,” Wojciechowski said. “You never know on a given night who is going to be the guy that will step up or be the catalyst. Tonight that was Joseph (Chartouny).”
Four Marquette players finished with double figures.
The win was not always certain, however. A lethargic first half allowed Presbyterian to stay in the game as long as it did.
The Golden Eagles finished the first half shooting 25 percent from the field and did not hit a three. Marquette’s first 3-pointer didn’t come until the 17:24 mark in the second half.
“The whole team has to come in and just have the same mindset,” Chartouny said. “Whether it’s team A, team B or team C, it’s about us. … Sometimes you get stuck with who you’re playing. We know Kansas is coming next game.”
Wojciechowski partially attributed the woes to missed layups and six open threes, all of which did not go in.
“That’s uncharacteristic of us,” Wojciechowski said. “Not that we’re going to make all six, but depending on who is shooting them, we’re probably going to make two. And if the right people are shooting them, we’re probably going to make three.”
Marquette also had more turnovers than field goals in the first half.
“That’s the biggest problem for us offensively,” Wojciechowski said. “We really have to shore up that area because it puts our defense in harm’s way. … We can’t score if we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to.”
Freshman Joey Hauser was one of the few positives for Marquette early in the game. His 10 points in the first half kept Presbyterian from extending its lead past five in the first half.
“He made shots, and he completed plays,” Wojciechowski said. “It’s not a lot more complicated than that. We had other guys take really quality shots. They just didn’t make them.”
Marquette will go to Brooklyn, New York, for the Preseason National Invitation Tournament next week. The Golden Eagles will play No. 2 Kansas in the first round and either No. 5 Tennessee or Louisville in the second round.
“We’re in a pretty good spot,” Chartouny said. “The fact that we were down five with a couple minutes left without the momentum at all just shows how resilient this group is.”
The Golden Eagles are 6-25 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since Wojciechowski took over the program in 2014.
