Providence vs. Marquette halftime notes

After losing to DePaul on New Year’s Eve, Marquette came out with a sense of urgency. MU caused turnovers like crazy resulting in a 33-33 tie at the end of the first half against Providence. Here's what stood out after the last 20 minutes of action.

Sandy Cohen

The freshman is already having a career game and is leading all scorers. Cohen has 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field including two three-pointers. He and JuJuan Johnson have provided quite a spark off the bench for the Golden Eagles, accounting for 16 of MU’s 33 points.

2-3 Zone on both sides

Both teams have run a 2-3 zone the entire game, and it’s caused some problems. Providence averages about 12 turnovers per game and it already has 11. MU’s zone has been very active and has caused a lot of disruption for the Friars. On the flip side, Marquette hasn’t dealt with it much better. A lot of MU’s baskets have come in transition off of the turnovers, although Marquette has retrieved nine offensive rebounds allowing for some second chance points.

3-point shooting

LaDontae Henton started stroking from long range and sparked the run that brought Providence right back in the game. Henton hit back-to-back from the same spot late in the half, he hit another to make him 3-of-6 from deep. MU is only 2-of-10 from behind the arc and only shooting about 44 percent from the field.

Providence has been efficient offensively, but the turnovers have really hurt the Friars. If Ed Cooley can get that figured out, the Friars look to have the advantage in the second half with all of their size.

Enjoy the second half!