Marquette improved to 16-5 (7-2 in Big East play) with a 70-47 victory over South Florida in Tampa on Wednesday evening. The win puts the Golden Eagles back into a tie with the Syracuse Orangemen, who had taken a one half game lead over Marquette two nights ago, atop the conference standings. It also marked a Golden Eagles sweep of their season series, after having previously defeated the Bulls just nine days prior at the Bradley Center.
The Golden Eagles took control of the contest from the opening tip, beginning the game on a 13-3 run that was fueled by seven Bulls’ turnovers. Giving the ball up was an issue that plagued the home side throughout the opening twenty minutes as they committed fourteen giveaways to only six by Marquette. The visitors were able to make their opponents pay, much like Louisville did to them just three days ago, by scoring 23 points off of the fourteen turnovers. Shooting just 5-18 (27.8%) from the floor also hurt the cause for USF as they recorded more successful three-point shots than two-point baskets (3-7 3-point FG, 2-11 2-point FG). For Marquette, they played what was arguably their most solid twenty minutes of the season on both ends of the court, shooting 14-26 from the floor offensively while encouraging the hefty amount of giveaways on the defensive end. Sophomore guard Todd Mayo led the way off the bench with 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Junior Cadougan posted a solid stat line all around with 6 points, 3 assists, and three rebounds, while his teammate Davante Gardner went into the intermission also with 6 points. Marquette went into the break leading 39-16.
South Florida opened the second half with a 6-3 run, playing far superior than they had at any point in the first twenty minutes, that prompted a timeout call by Buzz Williams. The Golden Eagles responded positively with a 9-4 run of their own fueled by baskets from Cadougan and Blue. USF began to chip away at the Marquette lead; however, it was far too little, far too late as the Golden Eagles were able to notch yet another conference victory and continue to exceed preseason expectations. The teams played to an even draw in the second half, which resulted in the visiting side holding onto their twenty three point edge from the first twenty minutes played.
Marquette finished the evening shooting 45.1% as compared to a 34.7 rate by USF. The Golden Eagles once again met the standard of their coach in making more free throws (18-21) than their opponents attempted (9-13). Vander Blue and Mayo finished tied for the team high with 13 points. Cadougan’s night ended with the point guard notching 11 points and 5 assists. Also with a stellar night was senior forward Jamil Wilson who had 10 points and 5 rebounds. The leading contributor for USF came off the bench in the form of 14 points from Zach LeDay.
The Golden Eagles look to continue their stellar run this Saturday as they return home for a lone contest against the DePaul Blue Demons (10-12, 1-8 Big East) on Al’s Day, in honor of former head coach Al McGuire. Following that contest, the team heads back on the road for a nationally televised matchup with the Georgetown Hoyas on Monday.
– John Muir : Assistant Sports Director – WMUR Sports