GameCap - February 1 vs. St. John's
Senior leader Steve Novak was back in business in an 81-61 win at home over St. John's. The big man from Brown Deer picked up 29 points and 8 rebounds in a physical game that eventually got out of hand.
Marquette improved to 16-6, with a 6-3 conference record. The win also marked the return of Freshman guard Wesley Matthews, who had missed all eight Big East Conference games with a stress fracture. His return came as a surprise to the more than 14,000 fans at the Bradley Center, who noticed his prescence during pre-game warmups. He entered the game with 12:23 remaining in the first half, and registered three assists and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
Steve Novak showed that his sprained ankle was completely healed by more than doubling his combined scoring total of the previous two games. Dominic James added 16 to show that while his shoulder may not be completely healed, he is in good enough shape to play. Ousmane Barro put in a big effort with 10 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Late in the game, Dominic James brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk on the fast break. After the Golden Eagles managed to get another steal on the ensuing St. John's possession, James brought the pushed the ball up the floor and passed it off the backboard to fellow freshman Jerel McNeal, who threw down a fancy dunk of his own.
Now, before I move on to my next point, let me just say that if there is one thing that I hate, it is fans complaining about the officiating in a game, especially after a loss. It says that the team is not good enough to win without a little help from the officials.
That said, the officiating in this game was probably the worst that I have ever seen. Throughout the first half and into the early goings of the second, the officiating was very loose, and many calls were missed. As the no calls mounted, the play became more and more physical, and it started to get out of hand. At this point, the officials attempted to tighten it up and call every little touch, but by then it was too late. Dominic James and Lamont Hamilton were each called for a technical with 16:07 remaining in the game after getting into a heated argument under the game. With about 7 minutes remaining, Jerel McNeal was assaulted near the sideline when two St. John's players latched onto him and the three wrestled around on the ground before a jump ball was called, no fouls were issued, and possession was given to St. John's. Fans responded favorably when Steve Novak and Ousmane Barro set blindside screens to knock down St. John's guards as they attempted to apply full-court pressure to Dominic James as he brought the ball up the court. Officials continued to call a tight game till the end, issuing a total of 43 fouls.
On the whole, however, it was a satisfying win for a Marquette team trying to rebound from a tough loss at Pittsburgh and trying to build momentum for a difficult road game against #4 Villanova on Saturday. I will be back tomorrow with my awards for the month of January. See you then.
Marquette improved to 16-6, with a 6-3 conference record. The win also marked the return of Freshman guard Wesley Matthews, who had missed all eight Big East Conference games with a stress fracture. His return came as a surprise to the more than 14,000 fans at the Bradley Center, who noticed his prescence during pre-game warmups. He entered the game with 12:23 remaining in the first half, and registered three assists and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
Steve Novak showed that his sprained ankle was completely healed by more than doubling his combined scoring total of the previous two games. Dominic James added 16 to show that while his shoulder may not be completely healed, he is in good enough shape to play. Ousmane Barro put in a big effort with 10 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Late in the game, Dominic James brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk on the fast break. After the Golden Eagles managed to get another steal on the ensuing St. John's possession, James brought the pushed the ball up the floor and passed it off the backboard to fellow freshman Jerel McNeal, who threw down a fancy dunk of his own.
Now, before I move on to my next point, let me just say that if there is one thing that I hate, it is fans complaining about the officiating in a game, especially after a loss. It says that the team is not good enough to win without a little help from the officials.
That said, the officiating in this game was probably the worst that I have ever seen. Throughout the first half and into the early goings of the second, the officiating was very loose, and many calls were missed. As the no calls mounted, the play became more and more physical, and it started to get out of hand. At this point, the officials attempted to tighten it up and call every little touch, but by then it was too late. Dominic James and Lamont Hamilton were each called for a technical with 16:07 remaining in the game after getting into a heated argument under the game. With about 7 minutes remaining, Jerel McNeal was assaulted near the sideline when two St. John's players latched onto him and the three wrestled around on the ground before a jump ball was called, no fouls were issued, and possession was given to St. John's. Fans responded favorably when Steve Novak and Ousmane Barro set blindside screens to knock down St. John's guards as they attempted to apply full-court pressure to Dominic James as he brought the ball up the court. Officials continued to call a tight game till the end, issuing a total of 43 fouls.
On the whole, however, it was a satisfying win for a Marquette team trying to rebound from a tough loss at Pittsburgh and trying to build momentum for a difficult road game against #4 Villanova on Saturday. I will be back tomorrow with my awards for the month of January. See you then.
posted by Rob Stack @ 11:47 PM
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