Marquette trying to use close losses as learning experience

By foxsports
Published

Posted: December 30, 2010, 1:41 a.m. CT

By: Paul Imig
FOXSportsWisconsin.com




For the fourth time this season, Marquette lost a close game to a top team.

The most recent defeat was a one-point decision on Wednesday night on the road against the nation's 24th-ranked team, Vanderbilt, losing 77-76.

Marquette's four losses are now by only a combined 14 points. Earlier in the season, the Golden Eagles lost to Duke by five, Wisconsin by five and to Gonzaga by three.

In the locker room, coach Buzz Williams and the players are attempting to look at it as something to build upon entering Big East play beginning on New Year's Day.

"I'm proud of how we've taken the losses and used them as learning experiences for our young players to grow up," junior forward Jae Crowder said by phone after the game.
"It's going to be like this almost every night in Big East play. Our goal is to use these losses as a learning experience. When you lose a ball game, that's the best thing you can do at this level."

After trailing for most of Wednesday's game against Vanderbilt, Marquette took its first lead since early in the second half with 19 seconds to play when Dwight Buycks hit a deep two-point shot that Williams and several players thought was a three.

Vanderbilt then responded and re-took a one-point lead with four seconds to go.

On the final play of the game, junior guard Darius Johnson-Odom tripped while coming off a screen as time expired.

"We know we're right there, trying to get over the hump," Crowder said. "We knew it'd be a one possession game. Getting stops late in the ball game. That's what it comes down to. That's what we're trying to boil it down to. Get it down to one stop."

Marquette shot over 56 percent in the game, but Crowder pointed to the 12 turnovers that the Golden Eagles committed.

"That's too many turnovers," he said. "When you shoot 56 percent, you win the ball game. That's a great number. The ball just did not bounce in our favor tonight."

The focus defensively, according to Crowder, was to stop Vanderbilt's leading scorer and three-point threat, John Jenkins, as well as 6-foot-11 center Festus Ezeli.

Both Jenkins and Ezeli scored less than their season averages, with Jenkins connecting on only two of his 15 three-point attempts.

The extra attention spent on guarding Jenkins and Ezeli allowed Vanderbilt's second leading scorer, Jeffery Taylor, to put in 14 first-half points.

"We had focused on Festus and Jenkins' 3-point shooting too much," Crowder said his team realized at halftime. "We said