PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Perhaps the thing most telling was the crowd.
The fans groaned and moaned. They dropped annoyed one-liners. They spewed obscenities. They threw their hands in the air and scoffed. They booed.
On New Year’s Eve, those inside the difficult — nay, haunting — Amica Mutual Pavilion could only complain.
A building which has stymied Marquette men’s basketball in years past. The place where the Golden Eagles have been at best one shot too short. Where those clad in blue & gold left the arena with a sour taste and an even sourer face.
It was all suddenly quiet.
For the first time since 2019 — when there was a different coach (Steve Wojciechowski) and a different All-American-caliber player (Markus Howard) leading the way, and the building went by a different name (Dunkin’ Donuts Center) — Marquette left Rhode Island with victory, 78-50, and the forgotten feeling of joy.
“We’ve had a hard time here at the AMP since I’ve been at Marquette,” head coach Shaka Smart said.
And after two minutes it looked like those hard times would continue.
The Friars hit back-to-back 3-pointers to lead 8-2 and the notorious Providence student section emitted a level of noise similar in volume to the Golden Eagles’ last trips.
“The way the game started with Providence making the first four shots, scoring 10 points in the blink of an eye,” Smart said, “was not ideal.”
But defense can silence loud environments, and Marquette’s defense got to silencing.
The Golden Eagles clogged passing lanes. They waved their hands like they just closed a deal on Wall Street. They swarmed like hornets. They robbed the Friars blind.
After the next six minutes elapsed, the “trends” section of the box score showed the gravity of Marquette’s stops.
One look at the trends box says it all. #mubb pic.twitter.com/NIouE0Iz3L
— Jack Albright (@JackAlbrightMU) December 31, 2024
The Golden Eagles scored 21 straight. They held the Friars to 0-for-5 shooting and six minutes with zero points. They forced eight turnovers. They made Providence head coach Kim English burn two quick timeouts. They led 28-10 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
“Hand activity,” Smart said about what he liked during the run. “Stevie Mitchell led the way, Chase Ross. We get our hands on the basketball. Being disruptive.”
By the time the run was complete, the Golden Eagles had turned the game into a laugher and went into the locker room with a 47-20 lead. All you could hear was the AMP attendees’ disgust with how their Friars played.
How they scored as many baskets as a team as Kam Jones did on his own (6), and how they wasted possession after possession, and how they lived outside the arc and failed to make any inroads in the paint and how they let themselves wilt when the Golden Eagles’ defensive pressure ramped up.
When fans got up as the teams made their way to the locker room, the question of whether or not they’d return for the final 20 minutes was more than reasonable.
One fan came up to media row and asked “do you know where I go to get my refund?” #mubb
— Jack Albright (@JackAlbrightMU) December 31, 2024
There was still half of the game to be played, but Marquette had done more than enough to rid any doubt of a win. Its defense was a big part of why.
“We thought that this was a game where we could force a good amount of turnovers and be disruptive with our hands,” Smart said.
Safe to say he was right about that.
Catalyzed by Mitchell’s five personal steals, Marquette finished the 40 minutes with 15 swipes and forced 22 turnovers, which they turned into 27 points.
On the other end of the floor, though, the Golden Eagles were also effective.
Jones led the way with 18 points and 10 assists, his third double-double of the year. Mitchell (14), David Joplin (11) and Zaide Lowery (11) were the three other double-digit scorers.
But the story of the game was the defense, the first half 21-0 run and, most of all, the seldom quiet Amica Mutual Pavilion.
“We’re here, obviously way early before the game, and I saw a guy walking in with those beers that are like a foot tall, and it reminded me of previous years being here,” Smart said.
“It can get away from you quick, just with the way that the crowd gets going, but I think the way that our guys were dedicated to getting defensive stops in the first half, that made it not as loud of a building as it normally is.”
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
