Pirates sink late
No. 14 Marquette’s strong 2nd half too much for SHU
MILWAUKEE — On a day when neither Marquette nor Seton Hall was close to full strength, the Golden Eagles’ superior depth made the difference.
Oso Ighodaro scored 21 points, David Jo- plin added 20 and No. 14 Marquette beat Seton Hall, 75-57, on Saturday for its fourth consecutive win. Seton Hall has lost three straight and has been missing top scorer Kadary Richmond for two of those games due to an unspecified injury.
Marquette (15-5, 6-3 Big East) got just seven combined points from leading scorers Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones, but the Golden Eagles outscored Seton Hall 14-2 in bench production. Ben Gold led Marquette’s reserves with nine points, six rebounds and two blocks. “It says a lot about the character of our guys,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “I think Ben Gold deserves a ton of credit the last couple of games, just taking on an expanded role that I’ve felt for a while that he was ready for, and he hasn’t blinked.”
New Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who played for Marquette from 1980-83, received a standing ovation during a first-half timeout as he briefly spoke to a crowd that included Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Marquette didn’t lead for the first 18 ¹/₂ minutes of the game but pulled away by outscoring Seton Hall 45-28 in the second half.
“Nobody’s feeling sorry for us,” said Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway, who had no update on Richmond’s status after the game. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing, who’s not playing. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”
Marquette won despite encountering some adversity the day before the game.
Smart said Jones sprained an ankle after landing on someone’s foot while attempting a 3-point shot in practice Friday. Jones tried to play Saturday but lasted just five minutes and scored three points.
Kolek, the reigning Big East player of the year, had just four points and was held scoreless until 1:12 was left in the game. He made up for it by collecting 11 assists.
Jaden Bediako led Seton Hall (13-8, 6-4) with 18 points, one off his career high. Dre Davis added 13 points.