Victory milkshakes! Nigel James Jr. helps Marquette get first road win

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Victory milkshakes! Nigel James Jr. helps Marquette get first road win

Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel · Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tue, Feb 24, 2026 ·

7 min read

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WASHINGTON – The milkshakes never tasted so sweet for the Marquette men's basketball team.

Under head coach Shaka Smart, the Golden Eagles celebrate road victories with the smooth treats . But in a season that has featured a lot of lingering sour tastes after games, it didn't seem like MU would ever savor those milk-and-ice cream concoctions.

That's why sophomore forward Damarius Owens wasn't letting his milkshake out of his sight, even as he mingled in the stands at Capital One Arena after MU's 76-60 victory over Georgetown on Feb. 24. It didn't matter that his teammates grabbed all the Oreo ones while Owens was in the shower, even the vanilla shake that he had hit just right.

BOX SCORE: Marquette 76, Georgetown 60

The Golden Eagles (10-18, 5-12 Big East) hadn't won a road game since March 1 last season, coincidentally in the same building against the Hoyas . That skid included 12 games away from Fiserv Forum this season, if you include two neutral-court losses suffered in Chicago.

It didn't matter that Georgetown (13-15, 5-12) is suffering through a bleak season of its own. Or that the cavernous Capital One Arena isn't exactly intimidating when only 4,519 fans are dotted throughout the stands.

A road win still deserves milkshakes.

"Amazing," Owens said, holding up his cup from Shake Shack. "Absolutely amazing.

"We fought for it. Stayed with it. Stayed connected for all 40 (minutes). So it feels great."

Damarius Owens steps into starting lineup for injured Royce Parham

MU was dealt a serious blow about 30 minutes before the game when sophomore forward Royce Parham, who has been one of the team's best players for the past few months , hurt his back while warming up on the court.

"It just really, really tightened up," Smart said. "It happened one time before, last year.

"His freshman year. Right before practice. I remember he was in the weight room, getting warmed up. Just kind of tweaked it. Royce still has a young body. He's 19 years old. He's not a grown man yet. Which is exciting because there's a lot of room for growth and he's already a really good player.

"Between Royce and Todd (Smith), our strength coach, and Kenny (Wilka), our trainer, I'm sure they'll spend a lot of time making sure that he's ready to go."

With Parham not able to play, that meant fellow sophomore Owens got his first start at MU.

"It was just during warmups," Owens said. "I was shooting around. And then one of the coaches pulled me and said 'You're starting, Royce has got something going on.'

"Just gave him a head nod and said 'Let's do it. Let's go.' Just staying ready whenever my name is called."

Owens scored 10 of his 11 points in the first half. Five starters scored in double figures for MU, the first time the Golden Eagles have done that since Nov. 5 vs. Southern.

"We needed that," Smart said. "Sometimes, when a guy goes out, it can kind of affect you one of two ways.

"Our guys rose to the occasion and stepped forward. We're a team that relies pretty heavily on Royce's scoring. We go to Royce quite a bit. So when you take him out of equation, it changes some of the stuff we run."

Marquette guard Nigel James Jr. dunks over Georgetown guard Malik Mack during the second half at Capital One Arena.

Nigel James Jr. has another jaw-dropping highlight

One thing that doesn't change for MU is the standout play from freshman guard Nigel James Jr .

James finished with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. In a season in which MU has struggled down the stretch of games, the Golden Eagles pulled away in the final six minutes.

The momentum started when MU freshman Adrien Stevens (16 points) knocked down a 3-pointer for a 67-57 lead.

Then the 6-foot James drove into the paint and uncorked a vicious, one-handed slam. James seemingly has a play every game that stuns with his jaw-dropping athleticism.

"He just has an extreme burst and ability to be quick-twitch out there on the floor," Smart said. "To be honest with you, I'm not surprised because I've seen him do some freakish things over the last few years.

"But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it every time he does it. He's a special player."

James' exploits still catch Owens by surprise.

"I'm so grateful to have him on my team," Owens said. "Having him as a teammate is very positive.

"He wants others to succeed. Seeing him do special stuff like that gives me energy and allows me to bring it out myself."

MU seniors Ben Gold (10 points and 12 rebounds) and Chase Ross (14 points) also had solid games. It was the first double-double in college for Gold.

Ross looked like he suffered a shoulder injury with just over a minute remaining. But he had his shoulder popped back in place and seemed like he avoided any serious injury, though there will likely be soreness.

Shaka Smart talks about learning in a tough season

Smart was asked what he's learned about his team in a season that hasn't gone the way anyone associated with the Golden Eagles wanted it to.

"No. 1, it really forces you to look inward," Smart said. "As a coach, as players, as a team.

"How can we be better? How can we grow? What really matters? What's most important. Growth is always important to us, but obviously when you're not where you want to be, it's even more pressing or it feels more pressing.

"So there's just been an extreme emphasis over the last few months on how do we grow our guys? How do we grow our team? I do think we have gotten better over the last several weeks. Sometimes that's reflected in the score. Sometimes it hasn't. But I appreciate how our guys have stayed connected with each other.

"And we've been in a lot of positions on the road where we've had a chance to go take the game and we haven't. So to be able to extend the lead and win the game tonight is a big deal."

That's why the Golden Eagles savored the milkshakes.

Marquette guards Nigel James Jr. and guard Chase Ross battle Georgetown guard KJ Lewis for a loose ball during the first half at Capital One Arena.

Marquette's probable starters

Guards:Nigel James Jr., Chase Ross, Adrien Stevens

Forwards:Royce Parham, Ben Gold

Marquette at Georgetown prediction

This is it. The elusive road win for MU has to come in this one, right? All the close calls recently will pay off when the freshman backcourt of Nigel James Jr. and Adrien Stevens - a native of the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area - combine for a big game and taste what it's like to win away from home.

Prediction:MU 75, Georgetown 68

What channel is Marquette vs Georgetown on tonight? TV, livestream

TV: None
Stream: You can stream the game on Peacock, which requres a subscription .
Announcers: Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Brendan Haywood (analyst) will call the game.