High-flying Cain is MU’s super-sub
Marquette needed something to shake the doldrums. That's often when junior forward Jamal Cain can provide a jump start.
A cold-shooting start to the second half put the Golden Eagles in a 47-29 hole at Villanova with 16:27 remaining Wednesday. MU coach Steve Wojciechowski had seen enough, substituting four bench players into the game.
Those reserves – Cain, Greg Elliott, Symir Torrence and Jayce Johnson – played alongside starter Koby McEwen for a stretch of nearly five minutes. That unit helped spark a comeback that ultimately fell short in a 72-71 loss at Finneran Pavilion.
One of the positives the Golden Eagles (17-7, 7-5 Big East) can take away from that defeat is how well the bench played, particularly Cain. MU will likely need more performances like that with six more regular-season games left, starting on Tuesday night against Creighton (20-6, 9-4) at Fiserv Forum.
The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 19 in both the USA Today coaches and Associated Press polls. The Bluejays are at No. 15.
“I thought those guys competed,” Wojciechowski said. “Did they play perfectly or do everything right? No. But no one does.
“What they did, though, is they played together and they competed together. And what they did was give us a chance to win a game which, to be quite frank with you, we had no business being in.”
Cain finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes. The high-flying forward from Pontiac, Michigan, has been a key rotation player this season although his minutes often fluctuate. Wojciechowski usually gives the most time to whoever is playing better between Cain and sophomore Brendan Bailey.
Bailey was hot against Butler on Feb. 9, scoring 16 points in a 76-57 victory, so Cain only played 10 minutes. In the first half against Villanova, Cain and Bailey missed all seven of their combined shots as MU struggled offensively.
But Cain made an immediate impact in a 10-2 run after Wojciechowski's mass substitution in the second half. He made two free throws after getting fouled on a nice back-door cut. He made a three-pointer in the corner off a nice pass from Torrence.
Except for brief substitutions in the waning seconds, Cain played the final 9:36 as the Golden Eagles clawed back into the game.
“We got tough guys who love to play the game of basketball,” Cain said. “It was just rough for us in the first half. We just didn't play up to our potential. We picked it up in the second half, but that's what bit us in the butt.”
Cain finished 3 for 4 on three-pointers and is 7 for 16 (43.8%) from beyond the arc in conference games.
“Guys on my team have just been telling me to take my open shots and just be confident,” he said. “That's what I did.”
Cain also played solid defense, mostly against standout Villanova freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and used his exceptional leaping ability to pull down rebounds.
“Just trying to bring the energy on the defensive end,” Cain said. “Trying to get that spark there because you know you need to play defense in order to win .”
That's how Cain can keep earning time on the court.
“Jamal is that energy guy,” senior guard Markus Howard said. “I think the consummate energy guy. He brings so much to the table in terms of what he does on the offensive end and the defensive end. Guarding their best player, getting rebounds.
“Having a guy like him on your team, it's great.”