Smart Eclipses 100 Wins as #MUBB Soars Past Southern

Milwaukee – The Marquette University men's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) cruised to a 100-82 victory over Southern (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum. With the win, head coach Shaka Smart reached 100 career victories at the helm of the Golden Eagles.

Chase Ross led the way with 23 points, six rebounds, and a career-high six assists, while Sean Jones added 12 points and five assists. Ben Gold nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, and Caedin Hamilton and Zaide Lowery each contributed 12 points, with Lowery hitting three treys.

Marquette's balanced attack powered the Golden Eagles ahead, shooting 50 percent overall and nearly 39 percent from three, while scoring 38 points in the paint and 31 on fastbreaks. The Golden Eagles also forced 13 turnovers, turning them into 16 points, and added 10 second-chance points.

Marquette started the game hot from beyond the arc, knocking down four of its first five three-point attempts, led by a pair from Gold, to open a five-point cushion early. Southern stayed in the fight and responded with a short run to briefly go in front, 20–18, midway through the half. The relentless Golden Eagle defense hunkered down, forcing five turnovers over a five-minute stretch to slow the Jaguar offense and regain momentum.

Lowery added a pair of treys to help fuel a 13–2 run, pushing MU back in front by five. Jones provided a spark, knifing through the defense for a three-point play and adding another pair of free throws to extend the MU margin. The Golden Eagles closed the half strong, knocking down three straight baskets to take a 43–37 advantage into the locker room.

Southern kept it close to start the second period, but the Golden Eagles responded on both ends of the court. Ross ran an efficient offense, recording multiple assists to a cutting Hamilton and finding Adrien Stevens from three-point range, helping MU to a 19–5 burst to open a 21-point margin.

It was all Marquette to close out the game, as Ross scored 14 total points in the second half. Freshman Michael Phillips II provided a spark off the bench, driving to the rim and knocking down three straight three-pointers in the closing minutes, carrying Marquette to a 100–82 victory.

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles take on Indiana this Sunday, Nov. 9 inside the United Center in Chicago. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m., with the neutral site matchup airing live on ESPN.

NOTABLES

The Golden Eagles improve to 4-0 all-time over Southern, with head coach Shaka Smart improving to 2-0 against the Jaguars
Head coach Shaka Smart earned his 100th career victory on the Marquette sidelines with tonight's win. He is the second-fastest coach to reach the century mark (141 games) with the Golden Eagles, tied with Tom Crean and behind Hank Raymonds (138 games)
Marquette's 100 points are the first time reaching the century mark since MU scored 102 vs. Stony Brook on 11/4/2024
MU had five scorers in double figures (Ross 23; Jones, Lowery, Hamilton 12; Gold 10) for the first time since 3/13/2025 against Xavier
Caedin Hamilton notched a career-high 12 points on efficient 5-for-6 shooting from the field
Chase Ross set a new career-high in assists with six helpers, with four in the second half
Freshman Michael Phillips II went a perfect 3-for-3 for his first-career points in a Golden Eagle uniform