NEWARK, N.J. – Outside the Prudential Center banners hang from poles with the message “protect our house”. The slogan centers around the basic formula for Big East success – win at home and try to steal a few on the road. On Wednesday evening Marquette did the latter by pulling off an 88-85 upset of host Seton Hall. The loss was the second straight for Seton Hall, now 17-7 and 6-5 in the Big East. Marquette improved to 14-10 and 5-7 in conference.
Points of emphasis:
Marquette came out the aggressor. It’s not uncommon for teams to begin the game a bit conservative, fearful of committing turnovers that turn into run-outs. Marquette attacked the basket and got in the lane right from the beginning. “They got inside, we had to help which left their shooters open,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard commented. Once those shooters had daylight, it was lights out.
Matt Heldt had a solid night. He logged 23 minutes, scoring 10 points. The 6-10 junior proved to be a vital part of the road victory. He made Seton Hall’s outstanding inside threat Angel Delgado work for everyone of his 11 points and seven rebounds. Heldt also added eight rebounds of his own, four (a game high) on the offensive end.
Free throw shooting or lack of it. Legendary coach Pete Carril often said the free throw line was the one place you can be selfish. The Pirates unfortunately seemed to be in a giving mood. They shot 20 of 33 from the line for the night. Marquette, on the opposite side, was 20 of 23 and nearly flawless in the final minute as they sealed the deal from the charity stripe. Free throw shooting is something the Hall has worked on. At this point Willard feels the struggles on the line are becoming a mental (rather than technical) issue.
Long distance shooting. Steve Wojciechowski gave the green light, and the shooters responded. Marquette shot 12 of 19 for a 63 percent rate from three point land. Markus Howard (game-high 32 points) and Sam Hausler (16 points) both shot 4 of 6 from deep. Seton Hall shot 11 of 23 for a very commendable 48 percent. The Pirates, however, were unable to contain the Marquette shooters, who consistently hit the big shots especially as they protected the second-half lead.
Desi Rodriguez paced Seton Hall with 21 points. Both teams had five in double figures scoring.
Wojciechowski lauded the floor game of senior guard Andrew Rowsey, who scored 15 points while handing out seven assists. Rowsey did commit five turnovers, yet the Marquette mentor was impressed the way he kept everyone active offensively. Sam Hauser, a 16-point scorer for Marquette, also led all with ten rebounds. Sacar Anim, a 6-5 guard, was responsible for a number of dribble penetrations that broke down the Hall defense the first half. Anim finished with 15 points, 3 assists in 36 minutes of action.
An outside threat in his own right, Myles powell shot 4 of 9 from three in adding 18 points for Seton Hall.
