The Golden Eagles trounced the St. Norbert College Green Knights 88-51 in an exhibition at Fiserv Forum. Here is a breakdown of the victory:
Game MVP: In his first game as a Golden Eagle, redshirt junior Koby McEwen had a strong showing. He scored 14 points, was four for four from the charity stripe, recorded six rebounds and had seven assists in 27 minutes of play.
Sophomore Brendan Bailey, who finished with 15 points, was the only player to score more than McEwen, who had a plus-minus of plus-30.
“I’ve been excited for Koby to come back since his redshirt year,” redshirt senior Ed Morrow said. “I was hoping he could’ve played last year, if it was my decision.”
Key stats:
- 38 MU points in the paint
- 30 Contribution of bench players
- The Golden Eagles were uncharacteristically 11-of-16 from the free throw line.
- Marquette scored 53 points in the second-half alone.
- MU had 23 assists and 11 turnovers.
Notes:
- This is Marquette’s 11th time playing St. Norbert and the first since Jan. 6, 1960. The Golden Eagles are now 9-2 in the all-time series.
- St. Norbert shot just 17.4% from three, while MU shot 46% from long range.
- Senior guard Markus Howard was just two for six from beyond the arc but shot 50% from the floor.
- Freshman walk-on Michael Kennedy came in for two minutes and knocked down a 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining in the game.
Injuries:
Seven-foot forward and graduate student Jayce Johnson did not play after suffering a knee sprain in Monday’s practice.
“He’s going to be week-to-week. There’s no definitive timetable for his return,” Wojciechowski said. “We’ll do our very best to get him back as quickly and safely as possible.”
Meanwhile, Wojciechowski said freshman Dexter Akanno had to get stitches in his mouth during halftime but otherwise would have played more.
Redshirt sophomore Greg Elliott played for the first time since March 20, 2018, following a thumb injury last season and ankle surgery in the offseason. Toward the end of the game and at the end of the second half, he came off the court limping.
“Greg’s still far from 100%,” Wojciechowski said. “We just have to continue to figure out what the formula is for him to be in game shape.”
Up next: Marquette will host Loyola Maryland in its season opener Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time.
