Eagles find the power switch at halftime
NEW YORK – After the last two performances by the Marquette men’s basketball team, you’d think head coach Shaka Smart is masterful halftime orator.
But after a dreadful defensive performance against St. John’s in the opening 20 minutes on Tuesday, Smart wasn’t peeling the paint off the locker room walls at the bandbox Carnesecca Arena with a fire-and-brimstone rant about pick-and-roll coverages and shot selection.
“I thought our guys did a great job responding to our staff’s halftime message, which had nothing to do with basketball directly,” Smart said. “It was about how we act, interact and respond.
“Out there on the floor. On the bench. Our commitment to our circle. Our connectivity as a group. And I thought we were below our standards in those things in the first half. And that created a defensive effort that allowed them to shoot 66%.”
That messaging did the trick, with the Golden Eagles storming out of the gate in the second half and rolling to a 96-85 victory.
The game was a lot like MU’s victory over Villanova on Saturday, with the Golden Eagles (12-4, 4-1 Big East) fixing its defensive issues at the break against the Red Storm (11-5, 1-4).
St. John’s came out desperate for a victory after three straight Big East losses. Head coach Mike Anderson made some changes, suspending guard Andre Curbelo for discipline issues and moving guard Posh Anderson to the bench.
The Red Storm knocked back the Golden Eagles with their aggression at the start. MU’s defense had one of its poorest performances in a half this season, allowing St. John’s to attack the basket and shoot 17 for 23 on two-pointers.
St. John’s 6-foot-11 center Joel Soriano was a problem, scoring 16 points on 7for-8 shooting before halftime.
“He’s a good player,” Smart said. “He’s going to score some. Guys with size around the basket are probably going to score some against us, just with the makeup of who have.
“We can still be a good defensive team if we do some of the other things better. But I thought we got switched too much, that was one reason he got going. And then some of the plays down there we didn’t have the level of violence that we had to have to keep him from getting the ball or keep him from scoring. Now he’s a load, he’s a good player, there’s a reason he leads the country in double-doubles.”
The Golden Eagles also had eight turnovers in the first half, but shot well enough (17 for 34) that they were down just 48-41 at the break.
MU was a different team to start the second half.
The Golden Eagles got a defensive stop and a three-pointer from OlivierMaxence Prosper. That kicked off a 16-2 run that gave MU control.
“First half, we felt we weren’t connected as a group,” Prosper said. “As a unit. Our level of energy, we call those EGBs, they weren’t high enough.
“In the second half, we were like we really got to come together and it starts on the defensive end.”
Prosper hit his first 3 three-pointers, and then he started attacking the basket. He had 25 of his 29 points after halftime.
“It definitely felt good,” Prosper said. “I went in my rhythm and shot it and it went in.
“But everything starts on the defensive end. For me, if I can deflections, if I can get a stop, a rebound on the defensive end, and then go in transition and get myself an easy bucket, open three, that unlocks so much for the rest.”
The Golden Eagles went up, 73-62, after a triple by Prosper.
St. John’s hit back a few times, but MU always had answers.
When the Red Storm closed the gap to 76-71, Kam Jones (16 points) knocked down a three-pointer after a MU timeout.
The home crowd was at its loudest with just over three minutes remaining after David Jones threw down a dunk to get within 83-79.
But MU point guard Tyler Kolek immediately took the inbound pass and tossed a perfectly weighted hit-ahead pass that led Prosper in stride for a dunk while getting fouled.
“We say ‘answer back,’ ” Smart said. “I got that from (Nebraska coach) Fred Hoiberg, I don’t know, three or four years ago now.
“I love that mentality. If they score, answer back. And guys did a good job getting the ball out of the net, throwing it in, and then getting the ball ahead and then O-Max finishing.
“That was a big play. Because you’re playing on the road, they cut it to four. Then when we score and the foul occurred, it’s a media timeout. So it’s just a whole different feeling in our huddle and in their huddle after that play.”
MU pulled away from there. The Golden Eagles’ 96 points were the most scored in regulation at St. John’s oncampus arena, which opened in 1961.
Now the Golden Eagles will be looking for a full defensive effort for 40 minutes.
“It’s really just emphasizing it and having it front of our minds,” Prosper said. “Game starts, we have multiple things at the front of our minds, coach says something or whatever.
“But we really got to make sure we have a defensive identity in front of our minds at the start. And we didn’t have that to start this game. And I felt like in the second half, when we just let go of everything and just focused on that and were able to play our game of basketball, that’s when we are able to play better.”