Marquette Basketball: Takeaways from 5th straight loss to Seton Hall
The Seton Hall Pirates earned a key road victory against Marquette Basketball. The Golden Eagles fought hard to come back but couldn’t get it done.
Marquette Basketball and the Seton Hall Pirates squared off for the first time this season and it did not disappoint. Coming into this game, the Golden Eagles had the tall task of trying to contain Seton Hall’s playmaking big man Sandro Mamukelashvili who is balling right now. He’s averaging 20 points and seven rebounds.
How were the Golden Eagles going to defend Mamukelashvili? That was the question. This was going to be a huge test for the Golden Eagles defense. They have capable defenders in Theo John, Jamal Cain and Dawson Garcia who are can hurt an opposing defense in close and behind the three-point line.
The Golden Eagles have a solid backcourt in D.J. Carton and Koby McEwan who have provided them with a spark offensively. Both can shoot from anywhere on the floor and slash to the basket with relative ease when they see an opening.
The Pirates won the last four meetings between these two teams.
Mamukelashvili got the first points of the game with a converted and-one opportunity and Garcia followed that up with a mid-range jumper to get the Golden Eagles on the board.
The Pirates jumped out to a 15-5 run with 13:51 to go in the first half and they caused four Marquette turnovers. Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden had 11 of those 15 points.
Midway through the first half, Bryce Aiken made an appearance in the game and hit a right corner three to give the Pirates a 20-11 lead. Later, the Golden Eagles managed to get their deficit within five points thanks to Garcia and Carton.
Carton needed to get going in the second half if the Golden Eagles were going to take control of this game. He only had two points at halftime. McEwan and John led the Golden Eagles with seven points apiece.
The Pirates had a 34-28 lead at halftime led by Rhoden, Cale, and Mamukelashvili who had eight points apiece. The Pirates’ pressure on defense led to missed shots for the Golden Eagles and they couldn’t have the same success from the perimeter that the Pirates did. The Pirates were hot early on from out there but finished the half shooting 36 percent.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles came within a few points multiple times before Carton tied the game at 61 as he scored the last eight of the Golden Eagles points with 1:52 left to go in the game. Shavar Reynolds came through in the clutch as he hit a left corner three to give the Pirates the lead again. The game was sealed with free throws from him as well. The Pirates left Fiserv Forum with a 70-63 win.
Rhoden finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and the Pirates received a nice, combined performance from Cale and Reynolds who had 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Marquette basketball received good performances from the frontcourt pairing of John and Cain who combined and nine rebounds. John also had four blocks in the game.
The Pirates ¾ court press and guard play helped them maintain a first-half lead
The Pirates made things difficult offensively for the Golden Eagles with their pressure defense. It caused turnovers and the Golden Eagles struggled to shoot the ball. Whether the pressure switched into a man-to-man defense or zone in the first half, the Pirates’ defense helped them take control of the game in the first half. They converted those nine turnovers into 10 points.
The Pirates took advantage of the Golden Eagles’ misfortune by shooting the ball and sharing the wealth. They shot 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from the perimeter. The Pirates did an excellent job all game of driving to the basket to lure the Golden Eagles into the paint and kicking the ball out for a three. The Golden Eagles couldn’t stop them with that strategy and that has a lot to do with attention paid to Mamukelashvili.
Mamukelashvili made his presence felt with rebounding and passing
He didn’t have the big scoring day in this game that we saw the last couple of games, but his passing and rebounding abilities were on full display against the Golden Eagles. Displaying that versatility paid dividends as he finished with 17 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals. A big man that can shoot, be an efficient passer, and shows he can swipe the basketball is going to always put a smile on the face of his coaching staff, teammates and fans.
He is playing like an All-American for the Pirates and with him on the team, they are going to be a tough out in the Big East.
D.J. Carton came on strong late, but it wasn’t enough to win
Carton made some big plays down the stretch to tie the game as I mentioned earlier but the Pirates made more plays to win. While he struggled early to get going, Carton is a guy who will make plays when the game calls for it.
That’s exactly what he did. He finished with 16 points, three assists, and three rebounds. While this is a tough loss for the Golden Eagles, they never gave up and were so close to a comeback victory. This one may sting for Head Coach Mike Wojciechowski and the crew, but they have to move forward.
Next. Key storylines for Gonzaga vs Iowa. dark
They will go through a gauntlet-like three-game stretch as they play Xavier, Villanova, and Georgetown to end 2020.
The Pirates will face the Providence Friars (4-2) Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on FS1. The Golden Eagles will face the Xavier Musketeers (7-0) at 2 p.m. Sunday on FS1.