Howard catches fire in Marquette’s 92-59 rout of Bethune-Cookman

Turnovers led Marquette to a slow start. With eight turnovers in the first eight minutes, Bethune-Cookman took an 11-10 at the 11:48 mark in the first half. Then, Markus Howard happened. Exploding for 26 first half points, Howard led Marquette to a 51-27 halftime lead. The Golden Eagles never looked back, defeating the Wildcats 92-59.

Markus Howard finished with 37 points, shooting 7-10 from 3 while also adding 5 assists and leading the team with eight rebounds in 27 minutes. Joey Houser added 11 points, 7 rebounds and six assists off the bench. After his game one breakout, Theo John earned his first career start, but foul trouble limited him to 11 minutes. John made the most of his minutes, finishing with eight points and four rebounds on 4-4 shooting. Sam Hauser (10), Ed Morrow (8), Sacar Anim (8) and Jamal Cain (6) all chipped in with productive games.

Bethune-Cookman was led by Isaiah Bailey who finished with 22 points. The senior guard hit tough shots over Marquette’s lengthy defense all game. Opening the season with DePaul and Marquette, the Wildcats still have Miami and St. Mary’s on a tough non-conference schedule.

Marquette’s next game is at Indiana next Wednesday (11/14). Indiana’s 92.0 PPG through two games will put Marquette’s new and improved defense to the test. Being labeled as very similar teams with lots of offensive firepower and depth, the victor of this matchup could see themselves earning a top-25 ranking.