The Marquette Golden Eagles return home to host the UMBC Retrievers at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Monday night on a two-game win streak after finishing in fifth place at the Maui Invitational last week.
The team lost only one game in the tournament, a heartbreaking 72-71 buzzer-beater defeat by Butler in Marquette's opening game. The Golden Eagles rebounded with an emphatic 89-62 win over Mississippi State and the finished the tournament with a strong 72-64 win over USC on Wednesday.
Forward Jamil Wilson scored 19 points of the bench in the win against USC and added six rebounds. The junior was impressive while hitting 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range and is averaging 10.2 points per game.
Marquette shot nearly 50 percent from the field against the Trojans, who kept the game close until the Golden Eagles pulled away in the second half. Davante Gardner is leading the team in scoring and added 12 points against the Trojans, along with one block and two assists.
Junior Vander Blue has been one of the most impressive players for Marquette, averaging 11.8 points, including 21 in the loss against Butler. Blue was named to the all-tourney team for his play in three games, averaging 15 points and shooting 55.6 percent from behind the 3-point line. Blue scored 18 points in the victory over Mississippi State, but only had six against USC.
The Golden Eagles started the season with two straight wins before falling to Butler in Maui. Following the game against UMBS, Marquette will travel to Florida for a matchup against the No. 7-ranked Gators in the SEC/Big East Challenge.
Marquette has been scoring the ball well this season, averaging 76 points per game, including a season-high 89 against Mississippi State. The team is ranked 49th in assists per game and is shooting the ball at a 48 percent clip this year.
The team is ranked 121st in rebounding, but have done well defensively, allowing 62.8 points per game.
Last season the team went 26-7 and finished second in the Big East with a 14-4 record. Marquette defeated Brigham Young and Murray State before losing to Florida 68-58 in the regional semifinals.
The UMBC Retrievers finished 4-26 last season and are coming off an eighth place finish in the America East conference last season with a 3-13 record. The Retrievers are facing the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2006 and haven't made the NCAA tournament since 2008, when they were defeated by Georgetown 66-47.
The Retrievers are led by senior Ryan Cook, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, with 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Junior Chase Plummer has been solid for the team as well, ranking second on the team in scoring and rebounding, with 13.5 points and six rebounds per game.
UMBC opened the season with a loss to Pennsylvania, but rebounded with a 70-52 win against Eastern. The team has lost the last two games, including an 83-82 overtime loss against CCSU.
Plummer had his best game in the 86-70 loss against Loyola on Nov 14, scoring 28 points and grabbing five rebounds to go along with three steals. Plummer is leading the team in steals with 2.3 per game.
The Retrievers are allowing over 75 points per game, but will need to play much better defense to have a chance against Marquette. The Golden Eagles have scored over 70 points in four of five games this season and have allowed more than 70 points only once.
The matchup between the two teams will be the first meeting since a 68-46 win by Marquette over UMBC on Dec. 16, 2006 at home.
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