Dec. 17, 2012

TV: Sports32 (blacked out in Green Bay) | Radio: 540 ESPN

Marquette Game Notes

The Last Meeting

Green Bay	61
Marquette	79

December 10, 2011
Milwaukee, Wis.

Crowder's 21 Points Leads Marquette Past Green Bay, 79-61 Jae Crowder had 21 points and seven rebounds, and No. 11 Marquette had little trouble with Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday night, beating the Phoenix 79-61.

Recap | Box Score

The Marquette University men's basketball team (7-2) wraps up the road portion of its non-conference schedule Wednesday night when the squad faces Green Bay (3-7) at 7 p.m. CT in the Resch Center. Sports32 will feature the television broadcast, with Chris Roth (play-by-play) and Jeff Nordgaard (analyst) calling the action. The matchup will mark the first trip to Green Bay for the Golden Eagles in the history of the series. Following Wednesday's game, MU will conclude non-league action with outings against LSU (Dec. 22) and North Carolina Central (Dec. 29) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Program Becomes 43rd To Collect 1,500 Wins

MU's 71-51 victory over Savannah State on Saturday marked the 1,500th win in school history, allowing the program to reach a rare collegiate milestone.

MU now owns an overall record of 1,500-914 (.621) and is in its 96th season of competition. When the team claimed its seventh win in 2012-13, it became the 43rd school in NCAA history to reach 1,500 wins. Eight other teams (Syracuse, St. John's, Notre Dame, Louisville, Cincinnati, UConn, Villanova, Georgetown) currently in the BIG EAST are ahead of MU.

Marquette's all-time winning percentage also places it among the top-50 programs in NCAA history. The team has claimed 20-or-more victories in each of the last seven campaigns, which dates back to the program's joining of the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06. Only MU, Syracuse and Louisville have managed to reach that mark every season of competition since the league expanded.

MU is currently in possession of 33 20-win seasons all-time in the 95-year history of the program.

Gardner, MU Pull Away In Final 20 Minutes

The difference between MU's performance in the first and second halves in the win over Savannah State can best be illustrated by the efforts of forward Davante Gardner.

The Suffolk, Va., native contributed just two points and two rebounds in the opening stanza, which saw MU lead 34-26 as the game reached intermission. Marquette pulled away for a 20-point victory, thanks in large part to Gardner's 12 points and four rebounds after receiving encouragement from the coaching staff in the locker room.

Freshman Taylor, Jr. Shows Glimpse Of Potential

With Marquette's other post players struggling offensively in the first half against Savannah State, freshman Steve Taylor, Jr. picked the perfect time to collect a personal-best effort.

The Chicago, Ill., native finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, with both of the totals marking single-game bests for him through his first nine games with the program. Taylor, Jr. scored all of his points in the first half, grabbed four offensive rebounds and knocked down all four of his free throw opportunities.

For the season, Taylor, Jr., is contributing 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per outing.

Wardle, Barone Familiar Names To MU Fans

The Green Bay bench will feature a pair of familiar faces to Marquette fans on Wednesday night, as former players Brian Wardle and Brian Barone continue to lead the Phoenix men's basketball program.

Wardle is in his third season as head coach with the Phoenix and remains MU's seventh all-time leading scorer (1,690 points). He is still in MU's top-10 in five different categories and served as director of basketball operations at Marquette for two seasons (2003-05) under head coach Tom Crean.

Barone was a two-year letterwinner at Marquette after transferring from Texas A&M. He was a Conference USA All-Academic Team member and served as team captain during his tenure. He served on MU's staff under Crean in 2007-08 and isn't listed on any of the school's all-time lists from his playing days.

Marquette-Green Bay Series Dates Back to 1982-83

Marquette and Green Bay have only played a total of 11 times, with MU emerging victorious on nine occasions. The Golden Eagles posted a 79-61 victory in 2011-12 at the Bradley Center.

Prior to 2010-11, the previous meeting came on Dec. 14, 1996 and resulted in a 55-39 Marquette victory. The first matchup came during the 1982-83 campaign. Green Bay claimed its two victories in back-to-back outings on Dec. 4, 1993 (46-45) and Jan. 7, 1995 (50-48).

Wednesday night's game will mark MU's first trip to Green Bay in the series.