Matt Velazquez

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Annapolis, Md. — Through the first 20 minutes of its game against Vanderbilt at the Veterans Classic, Marquette looked like the better team. The Golden Eagles had limited their turnovers, played aggressive, effective defense and as a team shot 45.7%.

The Golden Eagles' problem, though, was that the Commodores led by a point at halftime after taking their first lead with 25 seconds remaining in the opening period.

"I thought we should have been up at halftime," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "Statistically, you're looking at the box score and you're saying, 'Man, we should be winning,' and we weren't.' "

When play resumed, the Golden Eagles left no doubt which team was superior.

Marquette dominated the second half on the way to a 95-71 rout Friday night at Alumni Hall on the campus of the United States Naval Academy. The Golden Eagles, who trailed, 40-39, at the break, regained the lead for good with a 7-0 spurt to open the half, then used a 26-2 run over more than eight minutes to put the game away.

BOX SCORE: MU 95, Vanderbilt 71

"I thought that we played really well in the first half," senior center Luke Fischer said. "The offense was clicking, but our defense wasn't all there. In the locker room we just told ourselves that if we come out and get a strikeout — we get our three stops in a row — we'd get things going on the defensive end and our offense was going to really start to light up. Sure enough, the basket got bigger and we went on a crazy run."

Those two second-half runs included a barrage of three-pointers. After going 3 for 12 from long range in the first half, Marquette buried 7 of 14 in the opening 11 minutes of the second half on the way to going 10 for 19 in the half and 13 for 31 (41.9%) for the game. The lead ultimately reached as high as 32 points.

As much as he appreciated his team's offensive performance, Wojciechowski liked what he saw on defense even more. The Golden Eagles wore the Commodores down by employing full-court ball pressure for much of the game, limiting them to just six points through the first 11 minutes of the second half. That pressure combined with Marquette's proclivity for pushing the pace after getting defensive rebounds was more than Vanderbilt could handle.

"When people look at the box score they're going to point to our three-point shooting, but I thought our defense and rebounding sparked everything else," Wojciechowski said. "When you talk about going on runs, that's how you do it; you do it with defense. It helps if you make shots, but it's amazing when your mind and your heart are into getting stops and finishing possessions."

The play of Marquette seniors Jajuan Johnson and Fischer encapsulated the complete performance.

Notes: Marquette wins Wojo's homecoming

Johnson poured in a game-high 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists. He also lived in the passing lanes, swiping six steals that led to multiple emphatic dunks.

Fischer was steady from the opening tip to the final buzzer, contributing 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and adding three blocks. He won the head-to-head battle with Vanderbilt 7-foot-1 center Luke Kornet, who led the Commodores with 15 points but struggled to effectively contain Fischer.

"If you want to have a good season your seniors have got to play well," Wojciechowski said. "You can overcomplicate it, you can stat it to death, but if your seniors have a great season then you have a great chance to have a great season. I thought that J.J. and Luke throughout the entire 40 minutes were exceptional. I thought Katin (Reinhardt) in the second half was really good and we need our veterans to play like that.

"I'd also, really to be honest with you, I'd throw Haani (Haanif Cheatham) in that mix. I mean, he's only a sophomore but son of a gun's had a lot of experience already. We need those four guys to be constants on a day-to-day basis."

Reinhardt went 0 for 7 in the first half but sank Marquette's first shot of the second and finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Cheatham chipped in 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 3 of 5 from long range, along with six rebounds and three assists. In addition to those four, freshman Sam Hauser went 4 for 7 from beyond the arc in his debut and finished with 14 points.

While the Golden Eagles' defense took advantage of 19 Commodores turnovers, turning them into 35 points, they didn't commit many errors of their own. Marquette finished with 12 turnovers, with four coming in the final 95 seconds when the starters were on the bench. Six of Marquette's turnovers came on offensive fouls (four illegal screens).

"It's got to be something we do," Wojciechowski said. "Valuing the basketball — my guys are probably sick of me saying that — but that's not going to stop because that's a huge key to our season."