Milwaukee, WI – Marquette used an efficient offensive performance and balanced scoring attack to defeat Michigan State 86-79 in an exhibition matchup at Fiserv Forum on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Eagles shot 57% from the field while hitting half of their 3-point attempts going 9 of 18. The Spartans turned Marquette over 24 times, however struggled to get going offensively in the first half going 7 for 27 (26%) and 4 of 15 (27%) from beyond the arc. Marquette’s perimeter shooting and bench production (39 points) provided to be too much to overcome.
It was a point guard story from the tip as Marquette’s returning 6’0 sophomore Nigel James Jr. and Michigan State’s returning 6’2 junior Jeremy Fears Jr. had an intriguing matchup. Fears finished with 18 points and seven assists on six turnovers while James contributed 11 points and seven assists on eight turnovers. Fears relied heavily on his speed in the open floor with change of pace and craftiness to create opportunities. On the other side of the ball James displayed a strong frame using his physicality and explosive first step burst to gain advantages. Both guards consistently pressured opposing defenses by getting paint touches, drawing fouls, and finding open teammates. They also showcased their own styles of court vision through skip passes, drive and kick options, and transition assists while pushing for tempo.
The matchup also exposed areas of development for both future professional ball handlers. Fears struggled to find rhythm with his jumper in the first half going 0-of-5 from the field and finishing 3-of-8, however compensated by converting 12-of-14 from the charity stripe. James also struggled to find consistency from outside, going 0-of-2 from three but utilized his strength and ability to finish through contact to generate offense. Ball protection was another challenge during the afternoon affair as the two combined for 14 turnovers.
Through the first half, Marquette established control taking a 43-31 halftime advantage behind great shooting efficiency and continued to knock down shots through the second. Michigan State’s 6’8 forward Jordan Scott provided one of the Spartans’ strongest two-way games finishing with 18 points on 6-of-13 including 3 treys. The versatile and lengthy wing showed confidence shooting off the dribble and spotting up in transition off Fears’ transition game. Defensively, Scott disrupted passing lanes and challenged shots finishing with four blocks in the contest.
Michigan State’s 6’4 true freshman Jasiah Jervis had the game high of 19 points and connected on 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Jervis displayed a smooth perimeter touch particularly from swing passes on catch and shoot opportunities with several of those coming from BLOB actions. His outside shooting helped keep the Spartans competitive throughout. Athletic 6’6,-237 pound senior forward Coen Carr added a quiet 11 points on 3–f 7 shooting while using his explosiveness to finish above the rim and attack in transition. Although his perimeter shot making activity remains limited, his vertical athleticism and strong finishing capability provides intriguing professional upside.
The Spartans were able to trim Marquette’s lead to 52-47 early in the second half before 6’4 sophomore guard Adrien Stevens responded with timely perimeter shooting. Stevens went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc finishing with 12 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Marquette’s 6’5 guard transfer (St. Thomas) Nolan Minessale contributed nine points and four rebounds settling in during the second half through aggressive drives and defensive pressure. 6’9, 235-pound junior forward Royce Parham supplied a strong interior presence recording 12 points and nearly having a double-double with eight rebounds. The lengthy athletic forward consistently pursued to battle on the glass and finished above the rim to provide second chance buckets. His physical activity helped Marquette win the rebounding game 33-23.
Despite Michigan State forcing 24 turnovers and converting them into 33 points, Marquette’s big time shots, rebounding, and offensive balance ultimately provided to be deciding factors. Both programs will look to November 2nd to open up their regular season play.
This article was written by Michael Schneiderman of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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