Marquette closed out 2024 with a convincing conference road win over a shorthanded Providence team, keeping the Golden Eagles atop the Big East at 12-2 and 3-0 in-conference. They would bring their hot shooting back to chilly Milwaukee to host 9-5 Creighton in front of a sellout crowd at Fiserv Forum on Friday night.
A sluggish start to begin the new year for both teams, shooting percentages in the 30’s was the theme of most of the first half. Kam Jones was held scoreless on 0-7 shooting until the two-minute mark of the first session, and if it wasn’t for the consistent scoring output of senior guard Stevie Mitchell, Marquette could’ve found themselves buried early. Mitchell scored 14 first half points on 5-7 shooting, while freshman Bryce Parham added 8 points. Creighton couldn’t get their star, Ryan Kalkbrenner, going either. Kalkbrenner didn’t make a single shot in the first half, adding just 3 points from the line. Marquette and Kam Jones would finally catch fire at the end of the half, closing with a 12-0 run to end the half and a 39-35 lead.
The second half started the same way that the first half ended, with Marquette continuing with another 11-3 run, resulting in an 8-minute break-stretching run of 23-3. This would prove to be the difference in the game, as the rest of the game was a classic Big East see-saw battle, with the Jays and Eagles trading punches for the remainder of the contest. Marquette would force timely turnovers and pick up big defensive stops to stay out in front just enough to salt away Creighton 79-71.
Kam Jones came around in the back 22 minutes to once again go over 20 points, while adding 9 rebounds and 5 assists, proof that he never stays cold forever. Stevie Mitchell finished with 18 points and 3 steals, and David Joplin finished with 11 points and 2 timely blocks.
Marquette was able to frustrate Ryan Kalkbrenner all night. The Jays were able to get the lob pass into Kalkbrenner with consistency, but the 7’1” senior missed a whole mess of no-footers due to Marquette’s pesky defense. Kalbrenner would finish with 16 points, with 12 of those earned from the line. If he makes even half of his close-range misses, this would’ve been an entirely different game.
Marquette once again showed resilience through their defense and role-players on a night when their leading scorer struggled from the field. Stevie Mitchell continues to show up time and time again, and it’s difficult to find a Marquette victory that isn’t draped in his key contributions. Grit got the win for Marquette on Friday night, and that mentality has the Golden Eagles sitting atop the Big East to begin 2025.
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Next up: Marquette welcomes in a hot Georgetown team for another Big East battle on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum at 7pm CST on CBSSN
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