January 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Nigel James Jr. (0) drives to the basket against DePaul Blue Demons forward NJ Benson (35) during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Coming off its first road win of the season, Marquette returns home to host rival DePaul in Big East Conference action Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.
The Golden Eagles (10-18, 5-12 Big East) avoided a winless season on the road, including both actual road games and neutral site battles, with a 76-60 win at Georgetown on Tuesday.
Nigel James Jr. once again led the way with 20 points and six assists for Marquette, which was without starting forward Royce Parham (tight back). Adrian Stevens had 16 points, Chase Ross had 14 points, and Ben Gold had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“We are a team that relies heavily on Royce to score, and we rely on Royce quite a bit, and I thought NJ and Chase did a great job of making plays with the ball and making decisions,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Adrian’s aggression got better as the game went on.”
Ross left the game at the last minute with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ross is expected to be available to play on Sunday after his shoulder returns to its original position after the game.
DePaul (15-13, 7-10) has won back-to-back home games, 69-57 at Seton Hall on Feb. 18 and 72-71 at Creighton on Wednesday.
Brandon Maclin led the way with 21 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. NJ Benson added 14 points with 9 rebounds and CJ Gunn had 11 points.
“Both games, our guys found their way late,” DePaul coach Chris Holtmann said. “We could have easily lost both games, but our guys found a way to win these games, and B-Mac (Maclin) played a big part in that.”
Marquette almost earned its first road win in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 16 in Chicago.
The Golden Eagles took a 44-36 lead into the halftime break. The Blue Demons literally turned the score around, outscoring Marquette 44-31 in the second to win 80-75.
Gunn shined for DePaul, scoring a career-high 31 points on 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. James led Marquette with 18.
–Field level media
