Marquette men’s basketball is still milkshake-less this season.
Despite getting close to winning their first road game of the year, the Golden Eagles (7-14, 3-8 Big East) were unable to get stops down the stretch in their 87-76 loss to Butler (13-7, 4-5) at Hinkle Fieldhouse Friday night.
After trailing most of the game, Marquette found itself down three points with just 3:58 to go. However, the Golden Eagles were outscored 12-4 down the stretch in what would eventually be another gut-wrenching loss in a season that has been full of them.
“To win a game like tonight, we’ve got to get a few more stops,” head coach Shaka Smart said in his postgame radio interview. “It was a three point game, and in order to go take it, you’ve got to stop the other team.”
After getting out to a slow start initially, trailing 17-8, Marquette responded by going on a 9-0 scoring run to knot things up. Butler wasn’t able to hit a triple until the 6:38 mark of the first half, when junior guard Finley Bizjack nailed one from the top of the key.
That was the only 3-pointer the Bulldogs nailed in the first half, finishing just 1-for-10 from deep. The Golden Eagles weren’t much better, though, finishing 2-for-12 from deep.
Sophomore forward Royce Parham led the way after 20 minutes with 12 points. Marquette didn’t score a field goal in the final three minutes of the half but found itself trailing by just five after Parham sunk a pair of free throws in the waning seconds.
First-year guard Nigel James Jr. got going early out of the locker room, scoring five of MU’s first six points. The Golden Eagles kept pace with Butler before going on another 7-0 run near the 10-minute mark of the second half to cut their deficit to 60-57.
Several possessions later, senior guard Chase Ross floated one home from seven feet to cut Butler’s lead to just one. It was as close as the Golden Eagles had been since the opening minutes.
Marquette had made nine of its last 10 field goal attempts with 3:58 to play, trailing 75-72 after Bizjack split a pair of free throws, but the next minute and a half was not so kind.
First, Stevens missed a moving 3-pointer all the way out from Carmel, Indiana. Then, Ross missed a triple the next time down the floor, which resulted in a quick defensive rebound and basket for Butler. Stevens then turned the inbound pass over, resulting in another layup for Kaiser Jr.
After another missed triple from Stevens, Bizjack went down the floor and sent home a pair of free throws. Just like that, in barely over a minute and a half, Marquette was down nine points with 2:26 to play.
“We just couldn’t get that next stop when we needed it,” Smart said. “I think for us, our guys, their connectivity and their belief in each other has grown over these last five games or so. Now, it’s about literally the basketball things that go into closing a game out. Coming back, in this case, when you’re a little bit behind, and we’ve just got to be a little bit better.”
The Golden Eagles went 2-for-8 with two turnovers in the final 3:58. Marquette also shot a season low 18.5% from deep, finishing just 5-for-27.
Ross and James Jr. both finished with 15 points respectively, with Parham close behind with 14.
Bizjack scored 18 second half points en route to his game-high 28-point, five rebound and four assist night. Graduate forward Michael Ajayi scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.
It all culminated with Marquette being close with no cigar — rather, milkshakes.
The Golden Eagles return home to face the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday at Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CST.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at matthew.baltz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.