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Men’s Basketball Makes the Sweet 16
The No. 2 seed Golden Eagles exorcised last year’s demons and did what no Marquette team has done since 2013, booking their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
- In its NCAA Tournament opener Friday, Marquette pulled off the comeback victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky, 87-69.
- Kam Jones scored a game-high 28 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
“Coach just did a good job of, like he said, changing the look on your face, and I feel like first half, me personally, I was a little tight,” Jones said. “I just really, really, really wanted to win. I think that’s good, but you’ve got to find a way to channel it and have a clear mind.”
- Tyler Kolek, in his first game back after missing six games with an oblique injury, put up a double-double of 18 points and 11 assists.
“Once I hit the floor, some obvious jitters because I haven’t played since three weeks now, but I think 37 minutes, most minutes in a game, so I thought I did all right with the wind,” he said.
- Marquette then defeated 10th seeded Colorado Sunday, 81-77, with clutch performances coming from the entire team.
“We’re a resilent team,” Kolek said. “We’re able to put adversity on teams, and we’re able to respond when adversity comes on us. That’s a big thing to have, especially in March Madness, a single elimination tournament.”
Women’s Basketball Falls in the First Round
Head coach Megan Duffy still has not led Marquette to an NCAA Tournament win.
- The No. 10 seed Golden Eagles fell 67-55 to No. 7 seed Ole Miss Saturday at Purcell Pavilion.
“Congratulations to Ole Miss. I thought they were tremendous in that fourth quarter, just relentless on their rebounding,” Duffy said. “But I can’t say enough about my team and their effort and their grit today and really across the whole season.”
- Senior guard Rose Nkumu scored a career-high 18 points and senior forward Liza Karlen earned a double-double (19 points and 14 rebounds).
- Now the Golden Eagles have a rebuild on their hands, with a possible four of five starters leaving the team.
Men’s lacrosse Completes Comeback
Marquette was able to end its five-game losing streak, beating St. Bonaventure 8-3 Saturday.
- Devon Cowan scored his 98th goal in the win, which puts him two shy of being the third player in program history to reach the century goal mark.
- Graduate student Caleb Creasor kept a tight hold on the net with 11 saves.
Women’s Lacrosse’s Homestand Ends in Defeat
Marquette was unable to go undefeated in its three-game homestand.
- Friday, Hannah Greving’s six-point performance led the Golden Eagles to a 17-6 victory over Central Michigan.
“I thought we were able to build momentum and keep it throughout. Even when it was a closer game,” Marquette head coach Meredith Black said. “There was a long period of time where it was a two goal game, but we felt that we were in control in those moments, so that was great.”
- Marquette was unable to keep its winning ways alive, falling to No. 2 Michigan 18-11 in its final non-conference game.
“This is the best preparation we could have playing against this team,” Black said. “So much to take from this game which was really great.”
Happening This Week:
- Women’s lacrosse at UConn Saturday 11 a.m. CST at Joeseph J. Morrone Stadium. Follow @SofieHanrahanMU on Twitter/X for live updates and the game recap.
- Men’s basketball vs. NC State Friday at American Airlines Center. Follow @JackAlbrightMU and @KristinParisiMU on Twitter/X for all on-site coverage.
- Men’s lacrosse at St. John’s Saturday 10 a.m. CST at Belson Stadium. Follow @MatthewBaltzMU on Twitter/X for live updates and the game recap.
This article was written by Sophia Woods. She can be reached at sophia.woods@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @SophiaWoodsMU.