Surprise hero
Blowout sparked by Heldt’s best game
It’s not likely that many of the 13,370 people at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Tuesday night entered the gates expecting to hear an MVP chant aimed at Marquette sophomore Matt Heldt. The seldom-used center entered the contest having played the fewest minutes of the Golden Eagles’ nine scholarship players and had never scored more than six points in a game.
But that’s exactly what happened, and the chants were well-earned.
Heldt, who started for the second straight game and third time since arriving at college, put up career highs with 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 10 rebounds to help lead Marquette (17-10, 8-7 Big East) to a 93-71 victory over St. John’s (12-16, 6-9).
“It’s a little crazy; I wasn’t expecting that,” Heldt said of the chants, which came mostly from the student section. “Hopefully kids in my class don’t start doing that while the teacher’s teaching.”
Heldt almost didn’t get the opportunity to record his first career double-double. He exited the game one rebound short with just over 5 minutes remaining, drawing a standing ovation from the student section and a big hug from coach Steve Wojciechowski that seemed to signify his night was done considering the victory was well in hand.
Two and a half minutes and at least one “We want Heldt” chant later, senior center Luke Fischer fouled out for the second straight game, prompting Wojciechowski to put Heldt back in. He grabbed the final
rebound in short order. When Heldt actually subbed out for the final time, Wojciechowski embraced him again and shared an emotional moment with the sophomore from Neenah.
“I said, ‘Really good players do it two games in a row,’ “Wojciechowski joked. “No, I just said I’m proud of him. How can you not be proud of him? We made a decision a couple games ago to shift things up and you don’t know how guys are going to respond. His response has been exactly what you would want.”
From Heldt’s perspective, his breakout performances over the past two games — he had six points and nine rebounds Saturday against Xavier — were the result of continued hard work. He draws praise from teammates and coaches alike for his consistency in the weight room, going from 17% body fat to under 9% in just over a year after arriving on campus. That workmanlike mentality has translated to the practice court as well, with Heldt going all out on a daily basis and soaking in coaching even when playing time was scarce.
Heldt began to believe he was turning a corner during Marquette’s bye week after the Goldto en Eagles’ loss to Georgetown. Wojciechowski concurred, opting to put him into the starting lineup. With his play over the past two games, Wojciechowski has no reason to take him out.
“Matt was terrific tonight and really has been terrific the last two games,” Wojciechowski said. “He’s taken his game to the next level. His ball-screen defense, his protection of the rim, his willingness to give up his body, his ability to rebound in traffic have all been big improvements in our defense. And on the offensive end he’s really just finding openings and finishing.”
Outside of Heldt’s strong play, freshman Sam Hauser made 5 three-pointers, including four in a row early in the first half, on the way to leading the Golden Eagles with 19 points. Redshirt junior Andrew Rowsey added 18 points and graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt had 16 as Marquette earned a second straight 22-point win in a 72-hour span to continue to boost its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Marquette loaded up on threepointers, going 9 of 13 in the first half to build a 15-point halftime lead that for the second successive game didn’t go under double digits in the second half. With 8:14 remaining, Rowsey made Marquette’s 12th three-pointer, giving the Golden Eagles a program record of 275 in a season with three regular-season games go.
Senior Jajuan Johnson, who was benched for the team’s win over Xavier on Saturday, returned with a bang. He scored nine of his 11 points in the second half, including a hammer dunk through a foul by St. John’s Tariq Owens.
“I thought he was good and that’s what he better be,” Wojciechowski said.
As well as everyone else played, the spotlight belonged to Heldt.