Marquette Golden Eagles relied on team effort to survive Xavier Musketeers but Stevie Mitchell gets a special shoutout from head coach Shaka Smart.
Mitchell scored 16 points in the game while Kam Jones had 28 points.
Two other starters scored in double digits. Chase Ross contributed 16 points, three points, and two rebounds while forward David Joplin had 14 points.
Only Ben Gold was limited in scoring, getting contented to just three points, having attempted just three times.
Royce Parham was also big on Thursday as he scored 10 points from the bench on three out of five shooting.
The team effort spoiled the big night from Musketeers’ Ryan Conwell who had 38 points, 21 of them from the three point line.
The win flipped Marquette’s last week in the regular season where they suffered two straight losses.
Stevie Mitchell has a fan in Dwyane Wade
It was a high scoring game but for Smart, it was not scoring that won the game.
He singled out Mitchell for his hustle in the night, recording five steals. He did that in front of Marquette legend Dwyane Wade who few days ago called him special according to the coach.
Mitchell himself found Wade’s support flattering.
“I’m extremely grateful for him,” Mitchell said after the game.
“Just even being at the games he’s been at, being here today. He doesn’t have to do it. Just because he loves Marquette and enjoys supporting us. First of all, we’re just extremely grateful for him. When he played in Miami with the Heat – him, LeBron, Chris Bosh – that was the first team that made me enjoy watching basketball. So it’s just surreal anytime he’s in our presence.”
His own teammates also gave praises to Mitchell who the other night was given an award for academic excellence.
“He’s everywhere. He plays so hard. He cares so much about this game. More so about each other, that’s why he’s always at the right place at the right time,” Joplin said.
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