It only took three games for Marquette head coach Shaka Smart to land his first big-time win as the Golden Eagles’ head coach. Marquette was down 12 points with just over 10 minutes on the clock before storming back to beat No. 10 Illinois, 67-66.
The rally was sparked by Marquette’s defense, as Golden Eagles were able to score 28 points off of Illinois’ 26 total turnovers — seven of which came from the Illini’s star guard Andre Curbello.
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Marquette’s 21-8 run to finish the game with the victory was capped off by a late-game steal by Tyler Kolek, which resulted in a layup giving the Golden Eagles the 67-66 lead.
WHAT AN ENDING! @MarquetteMBB pulls off the upset over No. 10 Illinois pic.twitter.com/CW5WP0ewIE
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 16, 2021
Shaka Smart’s squad was led by Darryl Morsell and Justin Lewis, who scored 21 and 17 points respectively. Although Illinois was without its star big man Kofi Cockburn due to a three-game suspension, the Illini found help from four players who scored in double-digits, led by Trent Frazier who scored 23 points behind 6-10 shooting from three-point land.
Frazier and company will try and bounce back from the early-season loss when they face Cincinnati on Monday, November 22. Marquette will play Ole Miss next on Thursday, November 18.
