Chicago State vs. Marquette final score: Golden Eagles net eighth victory in a row over Cougars

With nine days passed since Marquette went into Madison and beat the Badgers, the biggest question coming into its game against Chicago State was if the Golden Eagles would be sharp after so much time off.

A sluggish start saw them fall behind against a game Cougars squad, but a Sandy Cohen three-pointer but Marquette ahead for good seven minutes in. Even with Chicago State shooting the ball well, Marquette was never really in danger in its 91-74 win.

Star freshman Henry Ellenson turned in another stellar performance, scoring 19 points and adding 13 rebounds, which marks his sixth double-double of the season. He was yet again a focal point for the offense, taking six more shots then any other Marquette player.

Ellenson was joined by five other Golden Eagles in double figures. Most significantly, Duane Wilson had an impressive 18 points to go with six assists in what was probably his best game of the season. Wilson, typically a volume shooter who takes questionable shots, was surprisingly efficient, making six of his 10 field goals, including 4-of-7 from long distance.

Also in double figures was Luke Fischer, who scored 14 points and added eight rebounds. Fischer continues to excel as a complement to Ellenson, crashing the offensive glass for six offensive boards while Ellenson spaced the floor.

Jajuan Johnson, Sandy Cohen and Haanif Cheatham all scored in double figures as well. Johnson had a stellar all-around game, especially on the defensive end, where he had six steals. Cohen looked great from long range again, making three triples to raise his percentage to 45 for the season and reach 11 points for the game.

Chicago State gave Marquette more of a fight than its eight out of nine losses and bottom 20 KenPom ranking entering the game suggested it would. The Cougars shot just under 50 percent from the field and made 12 3-pointers. Fred Sims Jr. led all scorers with 26 points, making six of those threes.

Marquette next faces another low-major opponent, Presbyterian, on Saturday, in its final game before the start of Big East play.