The first 15 seconds indicated what kind of night Northern Iowa would face against Marquette.
Senior guard Jerel McNeal, playing before an announced hometown crowd of 3,087 at the Chicago Invitational Challenge, slapped the ball away from Travis Brown, zipped down the court and scooped it into the hoop.
Repeat that play — or a variation that results in a three-pointer — and that was No. 15 Marquette’s smooth Friday night at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, leaving with a 73-43 victory that was never in question.
“We just wanted to get it going on the defensive end,” said guard Dominic James, who finished with eight points and six assists. “The reason they’re so successful is the way they execute, so we wanted to take away everything they did.”
Marquette faces Dayton, a 60-59 overtime winner over Auburn, on Saturday night.
The Panthers (3-2) did not offer much of a challenge in speed or skill. The Golden Eagles (5-0), who entered the game averaging 96.5 points, kept the buzz saw out but used it as a defensive tool this time.
The Panthers became the fifth straight team to lose to Marquette by at least 17 points.
For a guard-oriented team that knows it will have to outhustle bigger teams for rebounds this season, the Golden Eagles can be pleased they outrebounded yet another opponent. They held a 42-29 advantage over the Panthers, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds to Northern Iowa’s six and scoring 15 second-chance points.
Forward Dwight Burke grabbed six rebounds and looked more active inside guarding 7-foot-1-inch Panthers center Jordan Eglseder, who was effective but not a game-changer with eight points and six rebounds.
“That’s the best Dwight has played,” Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. “I thought Dwight played much better defensively and from a rebounding perspective.”
The onslaught started quickly.
Marquette went on a 21-2 run in the first half, fueled by back-to-back three-pointers from James, to take a 32-8 lead.
Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward were their usual effective and efficient selves. Matthews was active with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Hayward contributed 15 points and eight rebounds.
Marquette connected on 11 of 27 three-pointers, while Northern Iowa was just 3 of 21 on threes.
“Keeping up with us takes a lot out of teams,” James said.
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sryan@tribune.com
