Ighodaro scores 20 points, No. 8 Marquette jumps to early lead in 78-59 win over Notre Dame

Dec 10, 2023, 05:05 am

MILWAUKEE -- — Oso Ighodaro scored 20 points, Tyler Kolek added 17 and No. 8 Marquette defeated Notre Dame 78-59 on Saturday night.

It was the second straight blowout win for the Golden Eagles (8-2), who posted an 86-65 home win over No. 12 Texas on Wednesday.

Markus Burton led Notre Dame (4-5) with 20 points.

Marquette jumped to a 17-0 lead with Ighodaro scoring eight. He finished 6 of 8 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line in the game.

Notre Dame committed turnovers on eight of its first 10 possessions, finally scoring when Burton hit a putback seven minutes into the first half.

The Fighting Irish committed a season-high 19 turnovers, 13 in the first half. Their previous high was 12.

“I just think we came into the game with a good mindset," Ighodaro said. “We were focused and we really just helped each other. That first couple minutes were really good for us. I feel like if we can guard like that, we can beat anyone.”

Marquette coach Shaka Smart noted Notre Dame's youth.

“Any time you play a group that is a young team, and they have to come to your place, you want to really set the tone with aggressiveness and defensive violence and get your hands on the basketball. I thought our guys did a nice job of that early in the game.”

Notre Dame returned just 1.6% of its scoring from last season, fourth-lowest in the nation and the team's starters included two sophomores and a freshman. “We've got to play with more poise and as we get more experience, we'll get better,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said.

The Golden Eagles led by 28 points, 52-24, at halftime. They shot 60.7% from the floor in the first half, including making 6 of 10 3-point shots and 12 of 13 free throws.

Marquette led by at least 19 points the rest of the way.

The Golden Eagles prevailed without starting guard Stevie Mitchell, who was out with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Chase Ross, who scored eight points and had a game-high eight rebounds.

“He's awesome, I love the guy, I wish we could clone him,” Smart said of Ross. “He's got an unselfishness about him, he's got a toughness about him.”

Notre Dame’s Tae Davis was held to two points and two rebounds after recording a double-double in each of the last two games.

BIG PICTURE

Forcing turnovers is a big part of Marquette’s game. The Golden Eagles entered Saturday ninth in the nation in turnover ratio, forcing 6.1 more per game than they commit, versus Notre Dame’s minus 2.3. Shot-clock violations accounted for three of Notre Dame’s first seven turnovers.

NO REMATCH SOON?

Both coaches cast doubt on whether the teams would play next season. The rivalry dates to 1919-1920 and Notre Dame leads 81-39.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: Hosts Georgetown on Saturday.

Marquette: Hosts St. Thomas on Thursday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball