Oso Ighodaro had 20 points and Tyler Kolek added 17 as eighth-ranked Marquette scored the first 17 points of the game and coasted to a 78-59 nonconference victory over longtime rival Notre Dame on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Marquette (8-2) was in control on both ends of the floor from the opening tip in jumping out to a 17-0 lead. Notre Dame missed its first seven shots, going 0-for-4 from 3-point range, while also committing eight turnovers.
The Irish (4-5) finally got on the scoreboard on Markus Burton’s putback with 12:53 left in the first half.
Marquette continued to dominate, pushing the halftime lead to 52-24 on Sean Jones’ 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer.
The Golden Eagles shot 60.7 percent in the decisive first half (17 of 28), including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. Marquette scored 21 points off 13 Notre Dame turnovers and had a 22-8 edge in points in the paint.
Ighodaro and Kolek each made 6 of 8 shots for the game, with Ighodaro a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line and Kolek hitting all four free-throw attempts he took. Kam Jones added 11 points.
Burton (20 points) was the lone player in double figures for the Irish, who have lost three of their past four games.
Marquette finished with an overwhelming advantage in almost every category, including a 26-7 margin in fastbreak points. The Golden Eagles outscored the Irish 42-18 in the paint and finished with a 30-14 edge in points off turnovers.
It was the second consecutive impressive win for Marquette, which pounded 12th-ranked Texas 86-65 on Wednesday following a 75-64 loss to in-state rival Wisconsin last Saturday.
It was the 120th meeting between Marquette and Notre Dame. The series resumed last season with the opener of a home-and-home set. The Irish lead the series 81-39.
–Field Level Media
