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JS Online: Stevie Wonder! www.jsonline.com Return to regular view Original URL: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan06/382590.asp Stevie Wonder! Novak helps MU slay a giant in Big East debut By TODD ROSIAK [email protected] Posted: Jan. 3, 2006 Now that's what Tom Crean was talking about. On Steve Novak's case ever since he set foot on Marquette University's campus to unleash that silky stroke at any and every opportunity, the Golden Eagles coach sat MU Basketball back Tuesday and watched his senior forward single-handedly dismantle the second- ranked team in the country with a shooting night for the ages. With the lights at their brightest as MU played its first game in the Big East Conference, the 6-foot-10 Brown Deer native hit shots from every conceivable distance and angle on Al McGuire Court at the Bradley Center, finishing with a personal-high 41 points to lead the Golden Eagles to a stunningly easy, 94-79 victory over the Connecticut Huskies. Sending the crowd of 15,831 into a frenzy with each successive shot, Novak drained 12 of 20 overall and 6 of 13 from three-point range despite Huskies coach Jim Calhoun running a who's who of defenders - 6-11 Hilton Armstrong, 6-10 Josh Boone, 6-9 Rudy Gay and 6-5 Rashad Anderson - at him all game long. Photo/Rick Wood Throw in his collegiate-high 16 rebounds and Novak's night was record-breaking not Steve Novak hits one of only in MU lore but also in the long and storied history of the Big East. his six three-pointers over Rudy Gay on His combination of 57 points and rebounds was the most ever in a single game in the Tuesday night and finishes with 41 points. 27-year history of the Big East, bettering the previous mark of 55 set by Georgetown's Mike Sweetney in 2002. His 41 points were also the most scored by a player making his Big East debut, blowing out of the water the old record of 30 held Related Coverage by Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Georgetown's Allen Iverson. "I know I have to be aggressive and at times in the past I have been a little bit passive," said Novak, who also went 11 for 11 from the free-throw line. "The http://www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan06/382590.asp?format=print (1 of 4)1/6/2006 9:41:48 AM JS Online: Stevie Wonder! difference has been the guys on the team really backing up what coach says: 'Steve, be aggressive. Steve, shoot the ball.' That gives great confidence to me." Box: Marquette 94, No. 2 Connecticut 79 Crean, for his part, couldn't have been happier for Novak afterward. Game Story: Novak helps slay a giant Audio: Wednesday's "That was one of the greatest single-game performances by both a player and a team post-game interviews in all the years I've been coaching. (Steve) deserves it." UConn : Gay draws wrath from Calhoun There were a couple other key contributors as well. MU report: Wednesday at a glance Freshman Jerel McNeal also turned in the best game of his young life, posting collegiate highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds, helping set the tone early for the Weblog: From the sidelines Golden Eagles by continually attacking the basket despite the presence of shot- blocking trees Armstrong and Boone. Also, senior Joe Chapman added 12 points, nailing a couple of key threes, and the big- man triumvirate of Ousmane Barro, Jamil Lott and Dwight Burke came through with a combination of 15 points and seven rebounds. MU (11-3) stood toe-to-toe with Connecticut (11-1) under the boards, 46-46, turned the ball over just 12 times and went 28 for 34 from the free-throw line. The Huskies, meanwhile, hit just 17 of their 34 freebies and held the only appreciable advantage in bench scoring, thanks to 25 points from Anderson. The Golden Eagles also kept Armstrong, Gay and Boone in check for most of the evening, and 16 of Anderson's points came with the game already well out of hand. Photo/Rick Wood Rudy Gay attempts to Even the much-ballyhooed return of suspended point guard Marcus Williams (four block Jerel McNeal's points, seven assists in 23 minutes) had little effect. path to the basket Tuesday. "I want to congratulate Marquette; they gave us a good old-fashioned butt-whipping," Calhoun said "They were more physical than we were, they were sharper than we were, they ran their offense to perfection. We, conversely, got completely taken out of our offense and came down doing nothing but casting prayers." But the story on this night was Novak. Unlike nights past where it has taken him awhile to heat up, he got into the mix early with a put-back of a miss by McNeal and followed up with a jumper, another put- Photo/Rick Wood back and a three-pointer to keep MU within 15-11 with 11 minutes 34 seconds left in the first half. Marquette fans help the Golden Eagles announce Tuesday's Big East A 12-2 spurt over the next 4 minutes or so put the Golden Eagles into the lead for arrival. good, and Novak provided an exclamation point heading into the locker room at http://www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan06/382590.asp?format=print (2 of 4)1/6/2006 9:41:48 AM JS Online: Stevie Wonder! halftime by burying a 35-foot bomb to make it 39-33 in favor of MU. Men's Coverage Novak and McNeal alternated as the Golden Eagles' go-to men in the second half in 2005-'06: Schedule helping stretch the lead to as many as 24 points. And no matter which player Calhoun tried on Novak, the result was the same. Photos: MU Gallery MU: '04-'05 Review When it was all said and done, Novak had poured in 4 three-pointers and 27 points in MU: Stats 19-plus second-half minutes and Connecticut never was able to threaten. MU: Roster "You contest the shots. That's all you can do. Shooting the ball like that, it really don't Big East: Scores matter," the Huskies' Anderson said. "A guy's feeling it, he's feeling it." Big East: Standings NCAA: Scoreboard Calhoun was more succinct. Poll: AP Top 25 MU: '03-'04 Review "Magnificent is a good word," the Hall of Famer said of Novak. "He was absolutely wonderful." MU: '02-'03 Review MU: 01-'02 Review Review: 1977 Title Review: '03 Final Four at a glance Big East Report Cincinnati Connecticut DePaul Georgetown Louisville Marquette N. Dame Pittsburgh Providence Rutgers St. John's Seton Hall S. Florida Syracuse Villanova W. Virginia Photo/Rick Wood Freshman Jerel McNeal played with the poise of a veteran Tuesday, scoring 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan06/382590.asp?format=print (3 of 4)1/6/2006 9:41:48 AM.