Tyler Kolek had a school-record 18 assists, Kam Jones scored a career-high 34 points and No. 7 Marquette bounced back from its most-lopsided loss of the season to rout DePaul 105-71 on Wednesday night.
Marquette (20-6, 11-4 Big East) returned to form four nights after an 81-53 loss at No. 1 UConn that snapped the Golden Eagles’ eight-game winning streak. DePaul (3-23, 0-15) has lost 15 straight by an average margin of 24.1 points.
After Marquette’s early 24-2 run, the only suspense remaining was whether Kolek would stay on the floor long enough to break the school’s 29-year-old assists record of 17 set by Tony Miller against Memphis on March 4, 1995.
Kolek, the reigning Big East player of the year, surpassed that mark while committing only two turnovers. He attempted only two shots and finished with three points.
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Kolek tied the record by finding David Joplin for a dunk that gave Marquette an 89-48 lead with 9:54 remaining. Kolek got his 18th assist on an inbounds pass to Jones, who sank a 3-pointer that made it 95-52 with 8:31 left.
Jones’ basket also enabled him to surpass his previous career scoring high of 31, which came in a 91-57 triumph at Georgetown on Feb. 3. Jones shot 12 of 15 overall and made 8 of 10 3-point attempts.
Kolek and Jones both left the game for good with just over eight minutes left.
Oso Ighodaro added 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Marquette, which shot 59.5% from the floor as a team.
DePaul’s Jaden Henley and Elijah Fisher had 19 points each. DePaul had 22 turnovers and only six assists.
Iso Ighodaro rises for a two-handed alley-oop to extend Marquette’s lead over DePaul
DePaul has lost its last 27 Big East regular-season games, though the Blue Demons did beat Seton Hall in the first round of last year’s conference tournament. DePaul’s last Big East regular-season victory was a 73-72 win over Xavier on Jan. 18, 2023.
Marquette never trailed and owned a 31-8 lead less than nine minutes into the game, thanks to an early 24-2 run. Jones scored 10 points during that spurt and Chase Ross capped the run by converting a steal into one of his three first-half dunks.
Kolek had 10 assists in the first 12 minutes of the game, getting his 10th on a lob to Ighodaro that extended Marquette’s lead to 37-13. He ended the first half with 13 assists and only one turnover while helping the Golden Eagles grab a 59-29 advantage.
BIG PICTURE
DePaul: Even at full strength, the Blue Demons would have been overmatched in this one DePaul was at even more of a disadavantage because it was missing Jalen Terry and K.T. Raimey, who have averaged a combined 15 points per game this season. A frustrating night culminated with the ejection of Mac Etienne after he picked up a flagrant-2 foul with 7:45 left.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles opened a three-game homestand by going over the century mark for the first time since a 101-79 victory over Southern California on Nov. 29, 2019. Marquette has won 24 of its last 25 Big East home games.
UP NEXT
DePaul: Hosts Georgetown on Saturday.
Marquette: Hosts Xavier on Sunday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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