Recap: young Cowboys stifle Marquette Golden Eagles in 70-62 win

The Cowboys got off to a sluggish start as they got used to a tight whistle before getting into a rhythm and shutting Marquette down in the second half.

The Cowboys got down by as many as twelve when Marquette’s freshman star Dawson Garcia made an easy layup to make the score 7-19. Amazingly those would be Garcia’s last points as he would score only four in a frustrating outing after leading his team with 17.5 in his first games. Head Coach Mike Boynton shifted to a thee-quarter-court zone and the game shifted with it.

The Cowboys outscored the Golden Eagles 25-16 to finish out the first half to end the first half down only 3, despite starters Cade Cunningham and Kalib Boone being held out due to foul trouble.

They did it... with depth?! Yep, you heard right. The Cowboys unleashed a secret weapon in Bryce Williams as he scored his first 13 points of the season to go along with 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block. He was a deadeye from range in big moments and played some fantastic defense down the court on primary ball handlers.

Rondel Walker had another great game as well, finishing strong time after time at the rim to the tune of a team high 16 points.

Almost half (34) of the teams points were scored by the bench. Then you add in the usual suspects with Cunningham posting a strong 15 point, 6 rebound, 3 steals, 2 assist performance and Isaac Likekele contributing 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Kalib Boone struggled against Marquette’s interior but managed to chip in 5 points each as well.

Jamal Cain put up a 13 point, 13 rebound double-double up for Marquette, and Koby McEwen lead all scorers with 21, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. The Cowboys defense consistently forced the ball to stick in spots with their pass lane-denial and really took Marquette out of any offensive rhythm down the stretch.

It was a fantastic display of the potential this team has, while simultaneously showcasing the deep level of talent the Pokes could have coming off of the bench. A game that went from frustrating to fun in the course of a half. In a weird year, each game is a gift, but this one was a little extra special. Man it was fun to watch this team win on the defensive end.