Six players in double-digits in MU’s 91-37 win over Mount St. Mary’s

Junior guard Junior Cadougan posted a double-double (10 points, 10 assists) in MU's 91-37 victory over Mount St. Mary's Friday. / Tribune File Photo

Six players scored in double-digits and Marquette forced 29 turnovers creating 45 points en route to its 91-37 victory over the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers.

Junior guard Junior Cadougan, the final member of coach Buzz Williams’ starting lineup, posted a double-double (10 points and 10 assists).

Senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom led all scorers with 16 points. He came up one assist and four rebounds shy of his goal to average five rebounds and five assists per game.

It was Cadougan’s second double-double of his career. The other came against Providence on Feb. 27 last season when he posted 10 points and 10 assists.

Prior to Friday’s contest Williams had announced senior forward Jae Crowder (14 points, six rebounds), sophomore guard Vander Blue (10 points, four assists, four steals), Johnson-Odom, and redshirt junior center Chris Otule (14 points, five rebounds, three blocks) would start.

Cadougan was Williams’ mystery fifth starter.

“As long as I’m here, unless Junior tears his Achilles’, that’s my boy. And what I should have said on media day (when he announced Crowder, Otule and Johnson-Odom as starters) is, ‘I’m starting Junior and I don’t know the other four,’” Williams said. “So Junior was starting. I just like playing games with y’all.”

Every Golden Eagle contributed to the 91-point outburst, except for freshman forward Juan Anderson who was suspended for the first three games for accepting a suite ticket from someone other than a legal guardian.

Marquette shot 56.3 percent from the floor (36-of-64) and held Mount St. Mary’s to 29.1 percent shooting (16-of-55).

Six Golden Eagles were in double-digits, sophomore forward Jamail Jones was the only non-starter to post double-digits (10 points).

“I’m really impressed by (Jones’) performance. He’s come a long ways since last year,” Otule said.

Despite the 54 point blowout, the Golden Eagles didn’t notch their first double-digit lead until 11:21 left in the first half after a layup from Crowder. From there Marquette never held less than a double-digit lead.

“Not to be disrespectful to Mount St. Mary’s but they had three starters who didn’t play and only had six scholarship guys. Who we prepared to play wasn’t exactly who we played.”

With that in mind, what do you take away from this one?

“Not much. We were playing ourselves,” Otule said. “What we’re doing is trying to celebrate tonight and then get back to work tomorrow because our turnaround is so quick.”

It was Marquette’s 11th consecutive season opening victory. It has won 12 of its last 13 openers. The victory was Marquette’s largest since a 54-point victory over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 6, 1996.

Marquette’s next game is at home on Monday against Norfolk State.