The Marquette Golden Eagles knew during their 12 point halftime lead, that St Thomas would not go away quietly. For this Shaka Smart team, they were hoping to not have to weather a second half storm. Against an ambitious St Thomas team, it did get close at the end. The lead proved too much to overcome, as Tyler Kolek was able to seal the game from the line in the eventual 84-79 win.
Marquette Golden Eagles Good Start
It looked like it was going to be a cruise to victory after the first 20 minutes. Being down three, midway through the first half, Marquette was able to go on an 11-0 run, after a made three from David Joplin. That allowed Marquette to enter halftime with an 8 point lead.
Defensively, they did a nice job of forcing St. Thomas to run their offense, not giving up easy points. On the offensive end Kolek continued to show why he is one of college basketball’s finest. Oso Ighodaro had some nice plays down low, either scoring in the low post, or kicking out to perimeter players. St Thomas was able to hit some clutch baskets to keep the score close, and it turned out to be a sign of things to come.
Marquette Golden Eagles Second Half
It would be fair to say that they let their foot off of the gas a little bit after halftime. But for the most part, the comeback was caused by St Thomas making some tough shots, and getting timely buckets when they needed it most. The game really ended up coming down to the margin being to large to overcome from the first half, and Kolek was able to close out the game out from the free throw line. Kolek ended the game with an impressive 8 of 8 from the free throw line.
Kolek remained composed throughout the game. Even during the opposing run, he continued to run the half court offense, finishing the game with 10 assists, chipping in 12 points. Ighodaro also proved to be too much down low. His size and skillset led him to a nice evening of 21 points off of an efficient 7 of 10 from field goals.
Marquette Golden Eagles Bench Impact
Ben Gold provided a nice spark off of the bench. With four of the starters playing over 30 minutes, and Kolek playing 37 minutes, the Marquette Golden Eagles need more performances from the bench like what we saw from Gold tonight. Gold did exactly what is needed from a player coming off of the bench. He provided some needed energy, knocked down his shots, and hustled while out on the floor. The missed dunk by Gold in the second half would have been a signature highlight of the year, and illustrates his potential as a steady contributor.
He ended his 15 minute night going 2 of 5 from three, for a total of 8 points. He is someone that needs to show that he can continue to be a consistent contributor, especially with Stevie Mitchell not being on a return timetable with his current injury.
Overall, it was a night that stemmed from a slight letdown that could have been expected. After dominating Notre Dame, and a good first half, the Marquette Golden Eagles allowed a resilient St Thomas team to sneak back into the game and threaten an upset. But they did well to withstand the opposing runs, and proved their composure down the stretch.
Their next test will be at home, as the Marquette Golden Eagles host Georgetown, Friday, December 22.
