After dropping both games during Week 14 of the season and falling out of the AP Top 25 Poll, the Marquette men’s basketball team returned to Fiserv Forum Wednesday night to host the Georgetown Hoyas.
The Golden Eagles defeated the Hoyas in dominant fashion by a score of 77-66.
Here is a breakdown of Marquette’s win:
Game MVP:
First-year guard Kam Jones entered Wednesday’s contest averaging just four points over the last three games. He would put together a career night and spark Marquette’s offense from the bench.
Jones led the Golden Eagles with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field.
“I love that guy,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “He gives me a lot of confidence. Every time he shoots, I think it is going in.
What he did tonight, he’s very capable of doing that. He’s capable of doing even more than that. Happy for him the way that he attacked and how aggressive he was.”
In the first half, Jones went on a stretch where he made four of five attempts from beyond the arc.
“It’s a positive domino effect,” graduate student forward Kur Kuath said. “It really fuels us just because we know he’s a capable shooter.”
Key Stats:
- Marquette shot 46.2% from the field on the evening, while Georgetown shot just 29.0%.
- Marquette recorded 26 assists on 30 made field-goal baskets on the night.
- The Golden Eagles bench scored 36 of the team’s 77 points on the night.
Notes:
- BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate Justin Lewis finished with 13 points and eight rebounds on the night. Lewis has finished with double-figure points in 24 of the team’s 26 games.
- It is the 23rd time this season that Lewis has finished with double-figure points.
- Georgetown’s leading scorer was Collin Holloway, who ended the night with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
- Graduate student guard Darryl Morsell was held scoreless on the night. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year finished with five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
- Redshirt first-year guard Tyler Kolek, who leads the BIG EAST in assists per game, dished out a career-high 11 assists on the night.
- Georgetown won the rebound battle 45-35, led by Aminu Mohammed’s 17. Mohammed finished with double-double as he also added 13 points on the night.
Quote of the Day:
With his own team set to play inside Fiserv Forum tomorrow night against the Milwaukee Bucks, former Marquette men’s basketball guard and now Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers was in attendance.
Smart said that Rivers spoke with the team before the game.
“He’s always been someone that I’ve look up to,” Smart said. “I had the good fortune of getting to know him when I was a young assistant coach at the University of Florida (when) I recruited Austin, one of his sons.. … When I got the job here, we were able to spend some time together, they (Sixers) had a game here in April of last year. He said ‘anything I can do, I love Marquette and I couldn’t be happier with you being at Marquette.. … There’s only one Doc Rivers, one of the best players to ever play here and an NBA Championship coach.”
Next Up:
Marquette (17-9, 9-6 BIG EAST) will now travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for a Sunday matinee with the Creighton BlueJays. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at the CHI Health Center.
The BlueJays defeated the Golden Eagles 75-69 in double-overtime back on Jan. 1 at Fiserv Forum.
This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.
