No. 9 Marquette began a stretch of eight victories in nine games with a double-digit win over Butler.
The visiting Golden Eagles will look to complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs on Tuesday night when the teams meet in Indianapolis.
Stevie Mitchell matched a career high with 21 points as Marquette (17-3, 8-1 Big East) recorded an 87-74 victory versus Villanova on Friday.
Mitchell, who scored 21 points in the Golden Eagles’ 76-58 win over then-No. 6 Purdue on Nov. 19, made 7 of 10 shots from the floor against the Wildcats. That display came after a combined 3-for-15 effort in his previous two games.
“Stevie’s always highly motivated,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said of his senior, who is a Pennsylvania native. “I don’t know about extra motivation (against Villanova), but I do think that he just has such a level of pride.
“It’s special. His pride in Marquette, his pride in his teammates. And as a guy that was recruited pretty good but, for whatever reason wasn’t recruited by that school, he’s never said this but if that was me, there’s some pride there.
“As we know, recruiting people, you can’t take everyone. And Stevie ended up exactly where he should have ended up.”
Chase Ross scored 18 points and Kam Jones added 16 for the Golden Eagles, who put the clamps the Wildcats at the other end of the court. Marquette forced 13 turnovers and held a 16-2 edge in points off turnovers.
The Golden Eagles also benefited from limiting their own miscues. They committed just six turnovers versus the Wildcats and had only two in their 80-70 win over Butler on Dec. 18.
Jones scored 23 points in that game and David Joplin and Mitchell added 15 apiece.
Marquette held a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 38-27 edge in rebounds in that contest.
Butler (9-11, 2-7) hung tough thanks in large part to shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. Jahmyl Telfort and Kolby King each scored 16 points to pace the Bulldogs, who were amid a nine-game skid.
Butler, however, has won two of three games with Piette Brooks II leading the way in the victories.
Brooks scored 19 points in the Bulldogs’ 82-77 triumph over Seton Hall on Jan. 15. He responded from a disheartening two-point effort in a loss Tuesday against UConn by setting career highs in points (29) and rebounds (13) in an 86-69 victory over DePaul on Saturday.
While Brooks said his scoring output versus the Blue Demons was a result of “playing with desperation,” Butler coach Thad Matta was quick to credit what he saw at the other end of the court.
“I think one of the bigger things for Pierre from the UConn game to (Saturday) was when he wasn’t getting shots, he kept defending,” Matta said.
Telfort had 18 points against DePaul, Finley Bizjack posted his second straight 17-point contest and Andre Screen scored 15 for Butler.
–Field Level Media
