The first real test of the season for Marquette came Friday night as the Golden Eagles traveled to College Park to take on Maryland for their first road game of the year. Although unranked, the Terrapins came into Friday’s matchup 3-0 against some weaker opponents, but all three of their wins came by 30+ points. A talented and pesky group looked to defend their home floor in what was expected to be an entertaining, close matchup. And it most certainly was.
The entirety of the game was all played within eight points. There were nine ties and thirteen lead changes. A good one to watch, both teams tested each other throughout. Marquette continued their “high turnovers/low % shooting” early-season trend into the first half against Maryland. The Golden Eagles once again shot below 40% in the opening half, but forced 9 Maryland turnovers while only turning the ball over 4 times themselves. Behind good conversion at the line and 10 points from Kam Jones, Marquette was able to overcome most of their shooting woes and keep the game close, trailing 34-30 at the break.
The second half presented plenty of back-and-forth, with Marquette holding a slight edge for most of the session after reclaiming a lead. Maryland relied on Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and freshman Derik Queen for 65% of their points, and both were hot in the second half. It seemed like each time Marquette opened up a two-possession lead, one of them would hit a big shot to bring it back. The Golden Eagles would stand their ground, however, exploiting the middle of the Maryland zone to create open shots.
Kam Jones would catch fire in the second half, and behind some key turnovers (and surviving a near meltdown in the final minute), Marquette was able to go get a tough road victory, beating Maryland 78-74 and remaining unbeaten at 4-0.
Kam Jones led all scorers with 28 points on 56% shooting and continues to be Marquette’s main source of scoring. The Golden Eagles have struggled shooting around him, and it has yet to be seen who can consistently step into that role when he is off the floor or in foul trouble. Stevie Mitchell continues to be everywhere and the heart and soul of the Marquette defense and had several key momentum-shifting moments on Friday night. A spotlight off the bench was Freshman Royce Parham, getting his first real taste of success at the college level, scoring an efficient 10 points in 13 minutes of action.
A Big East/Big Ten seesaw battle in College Park played out more like a game in March than November, and Marquette was able to rise to the occasion behind a big night from Kam Jones and key contributions from their youth off the bench. Defense continues to win early in the season for the Golden Eagles, and they will once again be put to the test when they welcome in #13 Purdue(4-0) next Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
Knuckleball Prime Time Player of the Game
The Barn 