Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Teams Finishes Costa Rica Tour Undefeated
10/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 20, 2003
By TODD ROSIAK
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Last Updated: Oct. 19, 2003
The Marquette Golden Eagles finished their exhibition tour of Costa Rica with an unblemished record after defeating the Costa Rican national team, 82-51, at the National Stadium in Escazu on Sunday afternoon.
Leading the way for the second consecutive game was junior point guard Travis Diener, who finished with 21 points and five assists. Also scoring in double figures were sophomore forward Steve Novak (14 points, 4 three-pointers, six rebounds) and sophomore guard Joe Chapman (12 points, four rebounds).
Marquette fell behind, 9-2, early in the first quarter but took control soon thereafter and opened a healthy lead heading into halftime. The Golden Eagles continued to pull away in the second half against an undersized but scrappy Costa Rican team.
"It was one of those games where if we weren't quicker than them and more alert than them and react better, it could be tough," said coach Tom Crean via cellular phone. "It forced our guys to play a little faster. We certainly had some matchup issues and mixed it around. I was pleased with the way we continued to compete throughout the game."
Among the highlights for Marquette was an eight-point, eight-rebound performance by junior Todd Townsend, playing out of position for a good portion of the game at power forward, and a two-handed, highlight-reel tip dunk by Novak on an offensive rebound.
On the offensive end the Golden Eagles hit 24 of 28 free throws (85.7%) and 8 of 20 three-pointers (40.0%). They also pulled down 34 rebounds, had 14 assists, 10 steals and turned over the ball 17 times.
It was a quiet game for Marquette's freshmen, with forwards James Matthews (three points, four rebounds) and Carlton Christian (three points, three rebounds) being the most productive.
In all, Crean said the trip was a tremendous success for the Golden Eagles in more than one way.
"You really want to be undefeated but what's more important is what you learn each game," he said. "The great thing about this trip is the team became closer. Individually they were able to learn that they can play through fatigue, adversity and stretches where things aren't going so well. As a team they learned to trust each other more on the floor."
From the Oct. 20, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
