CHICAGO — Junior guard Markus Howard had a bit of a happier walk off the Wintrust Arena floor Tuesday night than a year ago.

After scoring 36 points against DePaul, he uttered four words as he left the game at the 1:24 mark to a line of players embracing him.

“Good week, good week,” Howard said after hugging redshirt junior Sacar Anim.

A year after essentially falling out of NCAA Tournament contention at Wintrust Arena, Marquette had much more reason for optimism Tuesday night, winning 92-73 against the Blue Demons.

Marquette faced many of the same issues as a year ago: DePaul’s savvy post play and foul trouble.

“We’re just a different team from last year,” Howard said. “We showed great maturity today to handle this one in Chicago.”

DePaul had a 42-31 rebounding advantage, and center Femi Olujobi ended the night with 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

“(Olujobi) is a beast,” Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “He is big and strong, and he’s got a soft touch.”

Marquette sophomore Theo John picked up his third foul 41 seconds into the second half, and four MU players finished with at least three fouls.

Unlike last year, the Golden Eagles’ shooting bailed them out of other shortcomings.

Marquette torched DePaul with 52-percent shooting from the field and 41-percent shooting from beyond the arc.

The Golden Eagles opened the game hitting four of their first five 3-pointers to take a 16-7 lead and never relinquished it.

“Our guys were really ready to play,” Wojciechowski said. “I was very pleased with their approach.”

As DePaul made mental errors, MU took advantage, scoring 25 points off 16 DePaul turnovers.

Wojciechowski and Howard attributed the high production to the team’s ability to share the ball. Marquette had 13 assists and only six turnovers.

“The ball found the open man,” Wojciechowski said. “We were really unselfish, and I’m proud of my guys for that.”

The Blue Demons came within a point throughout the first half but never led Tuesday night, as Marquette maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second half.

Howard led the Golden Eagles with 36 points, marking the eighth time he has scored at least 30 points this season.

“Markus was Markus today,” Wojciechowski said. “When he’s leading like that, he’s generally plays really well.”

Junior forward Sam Hauser had 17 points and a team-high four rebounds and four assists before leaving the game with an eye injury.

“I’m alright. I just can’t see out of (my eye),” Hauser said.

Howard was particularly complimentary of Hauser’s versatility after the 92-73 win.

“People are starting to understand the versatility that Sam has,” Howard said. “He can do so many things. He can rebound. He can pass. Sam is just an unbelievable talent, has an unbelievable IQ (and is) one of the smartest players I’ve ever had the privilege of playing with.”

Marquette will have over a week off before hosting Butler Feb. 20. The Golden Eagles won by 18 in their first matchup in Indianapolis Jan. 30.