The Marquette Golden Eagles basketball team has kept the fire going. After a 15 point loss to then #21 UConn, Marquette has gone on a five game winning streak ahead of the conference tournament. As the Big East regular season leaders, the Golden Eagles will look to win the conference tournament and punch an automatic bid.
Marquette Golden Eagles Win Behind Tyler Kolek Double-Double
In the second to last regular season game for Marquette, they left Indiana after getting the job done. Tyler Kolek, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Oso Ighodaro all had a stellar night shooting. The three combined for 20 of 29 from the field and scored 47 of the Golden Eagles points. Tyler Kolek also added 10 assists alongside his 21 points for his third double-double of the year. February had been a particularly great month for Marquette and Kolek as they are both flourishing.
The story of the game for the Golden Eagles was ultimately ball movement. Marquette recorded 20 assists against Butler and 44 points in the paint. The Butler Bulldogs basketball team struggled to defend Marquette in a zone, which resulted in slick passing for extra buckets. Six Golden Eagles played more than 20 minutes and each of them recorded an assist. Despite their passing display, Marquette started the game off launching 31 shots and hitting 48.39% to get out to an early 36-22 lead at half.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles came back concerned with their shot selection. Marquette continued to pass the ball around and shot an amazing 65.22% from the field. The team also went 5 of 7 from three point land in the second half to build the Golden Eagles lead. The Marquette Golden Eagles defense was another crucial part of the win over Butler. The Bulldogs shot 39.2% from the field throughout the game which made it difficult for the team to build any momentum.
It was certainly an entertaining game to watch, but as the sixth ranked team, Marquette handled business as they should. The next game will come against St. John’s on March 4th in Milwaukee. The Marquette Golden Eagles should win their senior day clash before starting the Big East tournament March 9th. The Golden Eagles will have to travel to New York for the tournament games. It has not yet been determined, but Marquette will play Butler or St. John’s again in the tournament depending on their results in the coming games.
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