Marquette vs. Stetson recap: Golden Eagles hold on for 74-60 win

The Marquette Golden Eagles had to hold off a late rally by the Stetson Hatters in the second half, as they held on for a 74-60 win to give them their 14th win of the year.

It was a fantastic start for Marquette as they started off with a 16-0 run to start the game. They took control of the game in the first few minutes and never looked back. Marquette, at one time, led by as much as 24-2 in the first half. Stetson had no answer for the Golden Eagles in the first half and it didn't help that they shot very poorly. As a team that is one of the top 50 teams in scoring in the country, Stetson played horribly on the offensive end in the first half. Stetson shot 22.6% from the field and when you shoot that badly, you will be down double digits before you know it. The star man for the Hatters in Derrick Newton had a first half to forget as he scored just six points. Marquette had a great offensive first half as they were clicking on all cylinders. The Golden Eagles shot 61% from the field as they hit 16 of their 26 attempts in the first twenty minutes. Henry Ellenson and Duane Wilson lead Marquette in the first half to a 47-21 lead.

Down 26, Stetson gained some ground in the first five minutes as they cut the lead to 15 points. The Hatters went on a 7-0 run to start the half and that combined with a drought on offense by Marquette. As Stetson's offense began to heat up, Marquette started turning the ball over and slowly Stetson chipped away at the lead. Stetson ended up going on a huge run and even cut the lead to single digits with around 13 minutes remaining. Stetson ended up scoring more on that run than they had the entire first half. But Marquette was still keeping them at distance as they kept the lead at double digits for most of the second half. Both teams ended on droughts as Marquette went two of it's last 11 and Stetson went one of it's last six from the field. In the end it was a 74-60 win for Marquette.

Marquette was led by Jajuan Johnson who had 22 points and six rebounds off nine of 22 shooting.

Stetson was led by Derrick Newton who had 15 points and six rebounds for the Hatters. He also knocked down four three's in the contest.

3 things we learned

1. Stetson's offense can get hot quickly

After a dismal first half where they shot 22.6%, Stetson showed us why they were a qualify offensive team and one of the top in the nation. After scoring only 21 in the first half, Stetson scored 39 in the second half thanks to some hot shooting as they shot 50% from the field in the second half. They cut the lead down from 26 to as close as nine in the second half. They faltered late but they still gave Marquette a scare in the second half.

2. Turnovers were killer for Marquette

The reason why Stetson was able to get back into the game was because of the turnovers by Marquette, most of them coming in the second half. The Golden Eagles had 15 turnovers in this game and it is something that Steve Wojciechowski will not be happy with. They allowed Stetson to get back into this game and the Golden Eagles had to work in the second half. They almost wiped away a perfect half in the first by bad play and poor turnovers in the second half.

3. This is the easiest it will get for Marquette

Good thing for Marquette is that they won, but the bad thing is that Stetson is going to be the easiest opponent they face for the rest of the regular season. After this they play Butler, Seton Hall, Xavier, and Providence all in a row. This won't get any easier for the Golden Eagles moving forward.