Coming off of an upset win against No. 6 Baylor, the Marquette men’s basketball team hosted in-state rival Wisconsin Saturday afternoon at Fiserv Forum behind a sold-out crowd.
The Golden Eagles were looking to extend their win streak to four games but came up short in an overtime nailbiter following a dominant first-half performance from the Badgers.
Timely baskets and forced turnovers in overtime helped lead Wisconsin to its first win in Milwaukee since Dec. 10, 2016.
Here is a breakdown of Marquette’s 80-77 loss:
Game MVP:
Sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn shot 100% in the first half and ended the game with 19 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the beyond the arc.
The Omaha, Nebraska native also finished with four rebounds, two assists and a tied for a team-high two steals.
Hepburn, despite missing most of the second half due to an injury, proved to be an offensive juggernaut, causing difficulties for Marquette on defense.
“He (Hepburn) played with a really aggressive offensive mentality,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “Poise, aggressiveness, confidence, and he has command of the game when he’s out there.”
Without Hepburn, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said that he was missing a great talent.
“An all-conference point guard is what’s missing,” Gard said. “Obviously, the way he shot in the first half, he was feeling pretty good with how his day was going.”
Key Stats:
- Hepburn netted a game-high 16 points in the first half while shooting 100% from the field (6-for-6).
- In the first half, Marquette led the game for 5.9% compared to Wisconsin who led for 85.7%.
- In the second half, the Golden Eagles committed 11 personal fouls and the Badgers committed 12.
- Marquette shot 70.0% from the charity stripe and Wisconsin shot 61.5%.
Notes:
- Marquette committed zero fouls until the 7:37 mark in the first half. By this point, Wisconsin had committed three fouls.
- Marquette was out-rebounded 14-5 in the first half.
- All but one of the Badgers’ starting lineup shot 100% from the field in the first half. Hepburn went 6-for-6, junior guard Max Klesmit went 3-for-3, senior forward Tyler Wahl shot 3-for-3 and junior forward Steven Crowl went 1-for-1. The only Golden Eagle that shot 100% in the first-half was first-year guard Chase Ross, who went 3-for-3.
- Seconds into the second half, Hepburn hobbled off the court leading to the Badgers shooting 2-for-5 from the field entering the under-16 media timeout.
- All six of sophomore guard Kam Jones’ rebounds were defensive rebounds.
Quote of the Day:
Hepburn commented on his early disappearance at the start of the second half.
“Had to give my teammates a little test without me,” Hepburn said.
Next Up:
Marquette (6-3) will end its four-game homestand against NC Central on Dec. 6. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST at Fiserv Forum.
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached [email protected] or on Twitter @JackAlbrightMU.
