Marquette 94, LSU 84: Golden Eagles claw past Tigers for third place in Hawaii

It was a successful business trip to the Maui Jim Invitational for the Marquette men's basketball team.

Five players scored in double figures as the Golden Eagles beat Louisiana State, 94-84, on Wednesday in the tournament's third-place game in Maui, Hawaii.

It was a balanced offensive effort for MU (3-2) after Andrew Rowsey, Sam Hauser and Markus Howard combined for 116 of the Golden Eagles’ 160 points in the previous two games at the Lahaina Civic Center.

“That’s been a big point of emphasis for us,” MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “We’re not going to be who we want to be eventually if we only have two or three guys doing the scoring.”

BOX SCORE: Marquette 94, LSU 84

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The usual suspects contributed against the Tigers (3-2), but the Golden Eagles also got solid scoring efforts from Matt Heldt (12 points) and Sacar Anim (12).

Hauser started red hot, scoring 14 of MU's opening 16 points and making his first 5 three-pointers. He had 18 points in the first half, but only two in the second half.

The Tigers' Tremont Waters matched Hauser's hot start. He had 22 points in the first half, shooting 9 of 13, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

“He's definitely one of the best players offensively that I've played,” said Anim, who fouled out while trying to guard Waters. “He was tough, he's really quick, and he's really smart.”

Waters never slowed down, finishing with 39 points for the Tigers and almost single-handedly keeping them in the game.

But MU had much more balance.

Rowsey had 24 points after halftime, hitting all 16 of his free throws to tie a school record.

Anim attacked the rim and finished with 5-of-7 shooting. Heldt hit all four of his shots and was a big defensive presence with three blocks. Howard didn’t hit a three-pointer but still finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

It added up for a solid finish in Hawaii for the Golden Eagles, who also beat VCU and lost to No. 6 Wichita State in the tournament.

“We’re leaving Maui a better team than when we arrived,” Wojciechowski said.

The MU coach pointed to the improvement of his four bench players, including three freshmen.

“They’re gaining experience and while they’re gaining it are contributing to positive play,” he said. “I think we’re better understanding that we need to be more balanced on the offensive end, and guys don’t need to think that the weight of the world is on their shoulders to carry us to victory.

"And if we work together then good things will happen.”

Rowsey made the all-Maui Invitational team after scoring 76 points in three games, making 29 of 30 free throws and 11 of 28 three-pointers.

Notre Dame rallied to beat Wichita State, 67-66, in the Maui title game. The Irish's Matt Farrell was named tournament MVP.