“Their purpose and energy was much greater than ours.” Those were the words of Providence Friars (13-2, 3-1) coach Ed Cooley after his team got shellacked by the Marquette Golden Eagles (9-6, 1-3) at Fiserv Forum. Marquette entered the game on a four-game losing streak, and it was obvious they felt backed into a corner.
Desperate teams are dangerous teams, and Marquette proved that early Tuesday night. Thanks to a pair of early Providence turnovers, the Golden Eagles scored the game’s first six points. Justin Lewis’s poster dunk over Noah Horchler put the exclamation point on the game’s early minutes and jump-started a 12-0 run for Marquette.