David Joplin stays hot with 27 points for Marquette in win over Stonehill at Fiserv Forum

David Joplin said the Marquette men’s basketball team returned from a one-game trip to the Bahamas with an illness that had spread through most of the roster.

Joplin also returned with a smoking hot sweater.

The senior forward for the Marquette men’s basketball team scored 27 points as the Golden Eagles earned a 94-59 win Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.

BOX score: Marquette 94, Stonehill 59

“We fight, man,” Joplin said. “We’re good.”

Joplin narrowly missed the career high he set four days ago

Joplin scored a career-high 29 points in MU’s final game against Georgia at the Atlantis Resort complex in the Bahamas.

He stayed hot against the Skyhawks (4-5), shooting 10 of 12, including 4 of 5 from long range. Before the Georgia game, Joplin had started the season just 8-for-39 (20.5%) from distance.

“I’m just trying to be more aggressive,” Joplin said. “Try to just be who I am. Try to get the game going early.”

“I feel like I’m more passive in some games. I’m just trying to be more aggressive and start from the jump.”

Joplin’s cold shooting start didn’t stop him from contributing to other aspects of the game, including brilliant defense.

“That’s what my teammates needed from me,” Joplin said. “So the other 98% of the game. Rebounds, deflections.”

“Hit hard. Sprint back. Talk. Show. Guard. These are the things they said they needed from me. I have to be able to bring that regardless of how I shoot the ball.”

MU head coach Shaka Smart likes this from the senior guard.

“Maturity,” Smart said. “He plays with more maturity. He acts with more maturity.”

“I liked his attitude. I liked the look on his face. He plays to win. He internalizes our game theme. He internalizes our defensive priorities. And those things make you a leader on a team like ours.”

Damarius Owens shows his potential with 14 points

The Golden Eagles (7-0), ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the USA TODAY coaches poll, saw their bench players play longer minutes.

MU got a standout performance from freshman forward Damarius Owens, who scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

The MU coaching staff likes Owens’ potential, but he was slowed by a toe injury he suffered a week before the regular season.

“I play it every day, man,” Owens said. “Obstacles come and go. It just depends on how you react to them. It’s a blessing to be out there on the field.”

The 6-foot-7 guard made his debut at Maryland, then played five minutes against Purdue and nine minutes against Georgia.

He showed his versatility shortly after checking in against Stonehill. He dropped a nice bounce pass to Caedin Hamilton to score, then drained three three-pointers in a row.

“My teammates believe in me, which gives me confidence every day,” Owens said. “They constantly tell me to be assertive and aggressive. This will take me far.”

Smart has said that Owens probably has more potential than anyone else on the team. The newcomer showed this with his third triple, which came from a sidestep dribble after a pump fake.

“That’s the type of game you would have liked to have seen him play in the first game,” Smart said. “But he didn’t play in the first game.

“It’s so good to have him out there. He just does a lot of things really well. He has the length. He can handle the ball. He can pass the ball. He can shoot the ball. He can finish.”

“Maybe I wish he could get a few finishes back tonight. But his future is incredibly bright.”

Joplin has seen what Owens can do behind the scenes in training.

“He’s special,” Joplin said. “You just have to give him a chance. I feel like he’s just trying to come back as healthy as he can.”

“As you’ve seen, he’s great when he’s out there. It was a good step in the right direction today. I can do things like that and impact the game straight away. So we just keep going.”

What channel is Marquette vs. Stonehill on tonight?

• TV: FS2

• Electricity: You can stream the game on the Fox Sports app or FUBO (free trial for new subscribers).

• Announcer: Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Phil Martelli (analyst) call the shots.

Here’s what else you need to know about the show.

Marquette vs Stonehill time today

• Date: Wednesday, November 27th

• Time: 8:00 p.m. CT

The Marquette vs. Stonehill game begins at 8 p.m. at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Marquette vs Stonehill odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday

• OPPORTUNITIES: Marquette -34.5

• O/U: 141.5

What are the next five games on the Marquette schedule?

November 30th: Western Carolina, 1 p.m

Dec 4th: at Iowa State, 7 p.m

Dec 7: Wisconsin, 12:30 p.m

Dec 14: in Dayton, 6 p.m

Dec 18: Butler, 8 p.m

Marquette-Stonehill forecast

Those pre-holiday games right after a big week (and in MU’s case, a long trip to the Bahamas) can sometimes be a disappointment. But the assumption here is that the Golden Eagles will wear down the Skyhawks with depth and defensive pressure.

Forecast: Marquette 83, Stonehill 50

Marquette Starters

Guards: Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, Chase Ross

Forward: Ben Gold, David Joplin

Stonehill Starters

Guards: Hermann Kofi, Amir Nesbitt, Chas Stinson

Forward: Todd Brogna, Ethan Meuser

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: David Joplin scores 27 points as Marquette defeats Stonehill