Nothing in Marquette’s statistics or expressions indicated a Big East tournament victory.
The Golden Eagles gave each other exhausted embraces after they survived a frightening display of their own shooting Wednesday night for a 67-54 first-round victory against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.
The Golden Eagles did keep one area of their game typically and helpfully nasty: defense.
“They continued to understand how aggressive the game was and we went into attack mode,” Marquette coach Tom Crean said. “It was an incredible experience for our players to see how challenging this month is.”
Welcome to March, Marquette.
Maybe see you in the NIT, Seton Hall (17-15).
The sixth-seeded Golden Eagles advanced to Thursday night’s quarterfinal game against third-seeded Notre Dame, which received a first-round bye. The teams split their regular-season meetings.
For being undersized, Marquette had a terrific rebounding experience before their game against the Irish behemoth of the boards, Luke Harangody.
Marquette (23-8) outrebounded Seton Hall 56-37, grabbing 25 offensive rebounds.
The Golden Eagles also knew when to put a stranglehold on the game, keeping the Pirates from scoring the final 5 minutes 57 seconds after a Ping-Pong-paced game.
“It’s something to build on,” Crean said. “I thought our guys had an incredible hunger to get to the backboards.”
They needed something positive to latch onto.
The Golden Eagles shot only 34.4 percent and lost their magic touch on three-pointers connecting on 3 of 17 (17.6 percent), a number they have undershot only twice this season. Even more distressing were the shots at the free-throw line, where Marquette shot 57.1 percent (20 of 35).
The Golden Eagles were saved by the fact they were in similar company. Seton Hall shot only 33.9 percent, including 20 percent on three-pointers, and made only 10 of 18 free throws.
While Marquette’s Dominic James is the team’s leading scorer, the Golden Eagles continued to prove they have other options. While James was held to one free throw in the second half, guard Jerel McNeal was a constant on both ends of the court.
He scored a game-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds, and forward Lazar Hayward had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Of course, it would not be a Seton Hall game without a little drama.
Guard Jamar Nutter, who twice flagrantly fouled James in regular-season games, said the fouls were not committed on purpose and said James refused to shake his hand after the game.
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sryan@tribune.com
