CHICAGO — David Joplin started both halves the same way — by nailing a 3-pointer.
At the start of the game, Marquette head coach Shaka Smart called a specific action to give Joplin a three and get him going early. A well-executed feed from Tyler Kolek ensured that Joplin got the look he wanted, and the junior forward hit the shot.
“We’ve been talking about trying to get me in a good state of mind,” Joplin said. “Start me off the game aggressive and try to have us feed off that.”
Smart opened the second half the same way, and Joplin hit the shot again and would go on to score six 3-pointers. He finished two short of his career-high of 8 threes, which he earned during Marquette men’s basketball’s visit to Wintrust Arena last season.
“He obviously feels good about this this hotel that we stay in across the street,” Smart said.
Joplin had a similar idea.
“Great stay, great hospitality, maybe that’s it, I don’t know,” Joplin said. “I do seem to have a good performance every time I come here.”
The Brookfield Central product’s half-opening 3-pointers set the tone for what turned into a 86-73 No. 14 Golden Eagles’ (14-5, 5-3 Big East) win over DePaul (3-16, 0-8 Big East).
“We got some great contributions from a variety of guys on the team,” Smart said. “I thought Tyler and Oso did a heck of a job leading. Their competitive intensity for 40 minutes was a difference for us.”
Shots from deep keep falling
It wasn’t just Joplin who was making threes, everyone got involved.
Unlike its previous road games, the Golden Eagles were able to hit critical shots from beyond the arc — especially in the second half — to keep the Blue Demons at bay.
Sophomore forward Ben Gold scored back-to-back 3-pointers with over 16 minutes remaining. The two baskets ended an 0-for-14 3-point rut for the New Zealand native, gave Marquette a 59-44 lead and sent a jolt of energy to the Golden Eagles.
“I mean everybody loves Ben Gold. If you don’t like Ben Gold, then something’s wrong with you,” Smart said. “He has an unselfishness to him as a person. And as a teammate, when he goes and he has success, you’ll cheer for him.
“He can really shoot the ball so we want to get him open looks today. I thought every look he got was a good one, and for him to make half of them is big for our team.”
Eight minutes later, Gold hit another 3-pointer to cancel out K.T. Raimey’s from the previous possession and put the Golden Eagles ahead, 70-56. He finished 3-for-6 from deep.
As a team, Marquette shot a road-game season-best 45.5% (15-for-33) from beyond the arc. The last time the Golden Eagles’ 3-point percentage was that high was Dec. 6 against Texas (46.7%).
“Our guys did a good job finding each other,” Smart said. “We got a lot of good looks up and we made 15 without Kam really getting going, and he’s our best 3-point shooter.”
Statistical leaders
Kolek led Marquette with 22 points, shooting 8-for-14 overall and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Oso Ighodaro finished with a near-triple-double, earning with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
“His impact on our offense is hard to quantify because he does so much that’s connective tissue as opposed to statistical,” Smart said about Ighodaro. “The biggest thing that he brought to our team today, along with Tyler Kolek was a level of competitive intensity.”
DePaul senior guard Jalen Terry scored 22 points and six rebounds. He shot 7-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 from deep.
Up next
Marquette hosts Seton Hall (13-7, 6-3 Big East) Saturday at 12 p.m. CST at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles lost to the Pirates 78-75 at the Prudential Center Jan. 6.
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
