It may have been a new year, but No. 8 Marquette men’s basketball showed the same poise it has all season.
It didn’t matter that the Golden Eagles were going up against senior 7-footer and three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner. They held him to 4-for-11 from the field.
It didn’t matter that Marquette’s star point guard Kam Jones started the game 0-for-7 from the field. The Memphis, Tennessee native continued to shoot the ball, scoring 17 points in the second half and finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Even when the Bluejays tried to close the gap down the stretch, it was the Golden Eagles’ steadfast defense that carried them through, holding them to just 3-of-13 shooting in the final eight minutes of the game.
In the end, it all culminated into a Marquette (13-2, 4-0 Big East) victory, as it defeated Creighton (9-6, 2-2 Big East) 79-71 Friday night at Fiserv Forum in front of a sold-out crowd.
“Just proud of our guys for hanging in there,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “This was a hard game. Creighton made things difficult in a lot of ways… I thought our guys’ defensive activity and aggressiveness won us enough possessions to win each half by four points.”
Senior guard Stevie Mitchell maintained his energy on both ends of the floor in the new year, recording 18 points and three steals. This marked his fourth consecutive game in double figures and the eighth time this season he finished with three or more steals.
“For Stevie, one of the elements of his role on defense is what the players call the head of the spear,” Smart said. “He’s just got this energy that’s unique to him, that nobody else has. Particularly when he’s in that Stevie mode that is superhuman, he covers so much ground both on the ball and off the ball… We’re going to miss him a lot when he’s gone.”
In the first half, Creighton went on a 10-0 run to take a 35-27 lead. But Marquette refused to lie down, going on a 12-0 run that extended into a 29-6 run in the second half. By the time it was all said and done, the Golden Eagles had a 15-point lead at the 14:34 mark and they looked like they were going to run away with it.
However, the Bluejays didn’t give in easily, going on a 12-0 run and cutting the deficit to just four points. But it was Marquette’s energy that held off the comeback.
“Our guys showed really good resolve, and I think probably a big part of the reason we won the game is that we did not allow our spirit to slip when we missed shots,” Smart said. “Holding them to 23% from three is a significant feat. That doesn’t happen if when we miss shots, we get bummed out…
“When you’re out there on the court, you don’t have time for that. You have to keep your spirit at an all-time high and you have to help your teammates do the same, and that’s why we won.”
Their resilient defense. Their persistent perseverance. Their unwavering spirit. It all stayed the same, and it’s why the Golden Eagles moved to 9-0 at home and 4-0 in Big East play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Happy New Year, Marquette nation.
This article was written by Kaylynn Wright. She can be reached at kaylynn.wright@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @KaylynnWrightMU.