The Golden Eagles answered with two baskets of their own, including a slam dunk by sophomore Chris Otule, to give Marquette a 14-11 lead. After seven minutes of even play by both teams, a Hazell three pointer gave the Pirates back the lead at 27-24.
Marquette then went on a quick 5-0, which included a three pointer of their own, courtesy of junior Darius Johnson-Odom, before Pirates' freshmen Patrick Auda hit a shot from beyond the arc to give the hall a 32-29 lead. Following Auda's three-pointer, Marquette went on a 7-0 run to close the half after with 36-32 lead. The Golden Eagles began the second half right where they left off and opened up with a 6-2 run to extend their lead to 42-34, and forced Hall head coach Kevin Willard to call a time out. The Pirates then slowly began coming back, thanks to jumpers by freshman Fuquan Edwin and Robinson. The closest they came to getting the lead back was with 12 minutes left in the half. A Robinson three pointer followed by another Edwin jumper put the Hall within three at 48-45. Marquette drained five minutes on the clock with an 8-0 run, and in the process extended their lead to 13 points, 60-47. Hazell then made the teams next nine points. He made three free throws and two three pointers to put the Pirates within ten at 66-56 with four minutes remaining. Down the stretch the Hall went on an 8-4 run, which included a Hazell dunk and four points from senior Eniel Polynice, but it was not enough. The Pirates will now stay on the road and get ready for their game against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Feb. 26 before coming back home for their last two games at the Rock, which include a rematch against Marquette. Nicholas Parco can be reached at nicholas.parco@student.shu.edu.
