MILWAUKEE — It's not how you start that's always important, it's how you finish.
After trailing by as much as 15 points in the first half, No. 7 Marquette (18-5, 9-3 BIG EAST) rallied back to beat St. John's 86-75 at Fiserv Forum.
"That was a terrific second half effort by our entire group," Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart said post game. "You could see the look on the guys faces at halftime that we knew we needed to be tougher."
Marquette’s first half struggles boiled down to St. John's 23-12 advantage on the boards, which translated to 17 second-chance points for the Red Storm.
"They were just bludgeoning us on the glass in the first half," Smart added.
However, cue the momentum swing sprung by Tyler Kolek.
With two seconds remaining in the first half, the junior point guard drained a contested three-pointer to cut St. John's lead to nine points at intermission, 47-38.
Kolek boosted Marquette's spirits with another three-pointer to open the second half, igniting a 48-28 advantage in the final frame over St. John's.
“We came out, banged two threes, and they had to come out of the zone," Kolek said. "They started going man, and it’s just barbecue chicken after that.”
#Marquette's Tyler Kolek delivering dimes both on and off the court today.
— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) February 11, 2024
When asked about what he meant by using the term "barbecue chicken" to describe St. John's switching to man in the second half, he responded "you can look it up on Urban Dictionary." 💀 pic.twitter.com/GIalKvlQkJ
Kolek scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half. He also finished with 13 assists, 7 rebounds and two steals.
“This is one of Tyler Kolek’s best games that he’s ever played at Marquette," Smart added. "He completely orchestrated everything that we did. They didn’t really have a cover to utilize against him. They went to switching, and he did a great job against that, too.”
The Golden Eagles regained control of the boards in the second half out-rebounding St. John's 22-12 while only allowing three second-chance points.
“We knew it was going to be a war today," Kolek said. "They're maybe Top 25 on the glass as a team in the country, and they go hard. They fly at the glass, and it was a dog fight. Oso [Ighodaro] was just getting pushed around a little bit in the first half, and I really loved his toughness in the second half. He stepped up and gritted his teeth and really got physical with those guys.”
Three other Golden Eagles finished in double figures: Stevie Mitchell (14), David Joplin (12), and Kam Jones (10). Oso Ighodaro finished nine points and nine rebounds.
Daniss Jenkins led St. John's with four three-pointers and 22 points.
Marquette travels to Butler on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
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