The Marquette Golden Eagles stunned the 10th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini Monday night. The Golden Eagles started the Gavitt Games off right for the Big East, as they triumphed over the Illini by the score of 67-66, giving the program one of their biggest wins in recent memory.
It was a slow start from the field for the Golden Eagles inside the Fiserv Forum as they found themselves trailing 19-11 halfway through the first half. However, a 12-2 Marquette run fueled by Shaka Smart’s havoc defense gave the Eagles a brief 23-21 lead before the Illini tied it back up heading into the under-four TV timeout.