Mustangs Outlast Parkway West

Coming off a tough, last-minute conference loss last night at home to Lindbergh the Mustangs were in need of a spark to get them on track at Parkway West.  After a lackluster start, the spark was found in the guise of junior guard Chris Rosehill who was the impetus of an early Mustang attack that led to a 51-41 road victory. 

Andy Rosburg opened the scoring for the Mustangs by grabbing an offensive board (one of five by the 6-6 junior on his way to yet another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds) and converting to tie the score at 2-2.  Moments later, senior Karlos Washington struck from the left corner beyond the arc to extend the lead to 5-2.  Lackluster play and foul trouble then began to take its toll on the Mustangs.  With Washington and Chad Haley headed to the bench with two early fouls, the Marquette attack became stale.  Enter one Chris Rosehill into the game and problem solved.  The 6-1 junior took the ball to the hole to put his team up 7-6 and over the course of the next two trips nailed consecutive shots from 20 feet out to up the MHS lead to 13-6...a lead the Mustangs would not relinquish the rest of the evening.  The young Longhorns were able to keep it close but by the time Rosburg again put back an errant shot, Marquette led it 13-11 after a period.

Tom Ahlborn nailed a short jumper to lead off the second quarter after junior guard D'Angelo Wood pulled down two offensive caroms on the same possession (D'Angelo finished with a career-high eight boards).  Amazingly enough, Tom's field goal proved to be the last of the half coming at the 7:30 mark of the second period.  Marquette was able to find the interior of the Longhorn defense the remainder of the half to the tune of 5/8 shooting from the free throw line.  However, 0/6 shooting from the field prevented the Mustangs from being able to put West away.  At the half, Marquette led it 22-17.

Cold shooting and poor ballhandling kept the malaise intact for MHS in the second half.  After a close-in miss to open the half, the second possession was proof-positive that this game was going to be anything but a gimme for the guests.  The Mustangs took FOUR shots off of THREE offensive boards on the fateful trip.  None would fall.  Consecutive unforced ballhandling miscues again opened the door for Parkway West.  A couple of baskets later, the Longhorns trailed again by only a single tally.  A Chad Haley long-range miss was tracked down by Karlos Washington who took the ball strong to the hole under duress to extend the lead.  The rest of the quarter featured 3/4 field goal shooting to go along with 4/4 from behind the line for the Mustangs.  At the end of the third, the tenuous lead was now at 32-25. 

Karlos again pulled down a big offensive board to kick off the fourth.  The 5-9 senior was able to put the ball back in the hole and a quick start was in the cards for Marquette.  Sandwiched around a Washington steal pushed ahead for a breakaway layup by Tom Ahlborn were two jumpers by Haley (the second of which was a trey).  With the lead now in double-digits, free throw shooting set the norm for the rest of the contest.  The Mustangs were able to convert on 8/9 down the stretch including a perfect performance at the line by Eric Maassen who was fouled late after pulling down a tough offensive board.

With the win, Marquette moves its record to 12-5.  The next action will occur on Tuesday, January 23rd as the Mustangs entertain the Kirkwood Pioneers in their second meeting of the season (the first a 49-45 Mustang win at Meramec over the holiday break)--this time in conference play.  The tip-off at the MAC is set for 7pm.

Leading Scorers:  Andy Rosburg-17, Karlos Washington-9, Tom Ahlborn-8, Chris Rosehill-8.  Leading Rebounders:  Rosburg-12, D'Angelo Wood-8.  Leading Assists:  Ahlborn-4, Washington-4.  HARD HAT AWARD WINNER:  Chris Rosehill.

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Posted by: marquettemustangs

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