After a disappointing home loss to Xavier on Saturday, Marquette(15-3) would take their struggling offense out to Newark, New Jersey to take on Seton Hall(6-12) on Tuesday night. Although a slow start offensively and just a slight overall improvement shooting from the floor, it was the consistency of the Golden Eagles defense that would ultimately get them back in the win column.
In the postgame presser after the loss to Xavier, head coach Shaka Smart stated, “…we have to be better early in the game”. An accurate and true assessment of the team’s midseason offensive struggles, Marquette once again struggled to get out of the blocks in the first half against Seton Hall.
The Golden Eagles shot just 33% from the floor and 27% from behind the arc in the opening session, compared to 52% and 56% respectively in the second half. At times, the offense looks stagnant, lacking off-ball movement and creating isolation situations, especially with the recent uptick in zone defenses played against them. Seton Hall would take the same zone defense approach in the first half on Tuesday, keeping them within striking distance going into the break due to poor shot selection and minimal paint touches from Marquette.
Offensive struggles be damned, Marquette’s defense continues to be the core of the team’s success. The Golden Eagles forced 14 turnovers in the first half against shorthanded Seton Hall, and when the opposing team shoots 13 less shots, you have a pretty good chance at having the lead.
However, coming out of the break is where Marquette continues to shine. The Golden Eagles would put together an 18-2 run early in the second session, and although Seton Hall would shoot over 60% in the second half, they would be driven into mistakes time and time again, turning the ball over another 10 times in the second half. Marquette was able to skate away behind an improved offensive half, burying the Pirates on the road 76-59.
After a three game stretch of 2-18 shooting from behind the arc for Kam Jones, the senior guard would gather himself for a 4-6 shooting night from deep on Tuesday, contributing a team-high 19 points. A quiet offensive night for Stevie Mitchell still saw him impact the game in a huge way with his 6 rebounds and 4 steals as he continues to anchor the defensive tenacity that wins games for Marquette. David Joplin and Ben Gold were the only other Golden Eagles to score in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. Freshman Damarius Owens led in both points and minutes off the bench with 8 points in 18 minutes of action.
Marquette’s first-half offensive woes continued against Seton Hall in Newark on Tuesday night, but their consistent, chaotic defense forced another 24 turnovers en route to another Big East victory. The defense is where Shaka’s squad will continue to hang their hat to rack up wins, but the offense will need to improve early in games going forward if they plan to capture the Big East regular season title.
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Next Up: Marquette returns home for a Friday night clash with Big East rival Villanova at 6pm CST on FS1
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