Marquette Athletics

The No. 8/8 Marquette University men's basketball team (26-9) opened play at the 2024 NCAA Championship with an 87-69 victory against Western Kentucky (22-12) on Friday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
Guard Kam Jones led the way offensively with 28 points and guard Tyler Kolek chipped in 18 points and 10 assists. 
 
The Golden Eagles opened the second half with a 17-3 run to take a 53-48 lead on a trey by David Joplin. MU shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half to pull away.
 
The Golden Eagles, which led by as many as nine points (28-19) in the first half, saw the Hilltoppers close the final eight minutes with an 18-6 run and as a results WKU was up 43-36 at the intermission.  MU shot just 39.4 percent from the floor overall and 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) from behind the 3-point line in the opening half.
 
Notables:

• MU made its 36th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament and is now 43-36 overall and 2-1 as the No. 2 seed
• Marquette, which earned a No. 2 seed for the second-straight season, faced No 15 seed WKU in the South Region.
• All-America guard Tyler Kolek made his first appearance and start since injuring his oblique (missed six games) on Feb. 28 against Providence.
• Stevie Mitchell finished with a career-high three blocked shots
• Forward David Joplin finished with his first career double-double (13 points and career-high 11 rebounds)
   

UP NEXT:
Marquette advances to the round of 32 and will face the Colorado/Florida winner on Sunday, March 24.
 
Keep up with the Marquette men's basketball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteMBB) and Instagram (@marquette.basketball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMensBB). Fans interested in tickets can contact the Marquette Ticket Office online or at 414-288-GOMU (4668).