The last couple of years, Marquette might have lost a game like this. As the clock ticked down and their lead dwindled, the Golden Eagles might have fallen apart.
“Guys would have stopped talking,” guard Jerel McNeal said. “Guys would have started hanging their heads.”
But this team has learned from quick exits in the last two NCAA tournaments and used its maturity to hold off Kentucky 74-66 Thursday in a first-round South regional game at the Honda Center.
Marquette advances to the second round against Stanford because of the poise it mustered in the face of a desperate charge by Kentucky’s Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley. The senior guards scored 54 of their team’s 66 points, including a string of three-pointers that closed the gap to a basket in the final 23 seconds.
“They were so clutch it was amazing,” Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said.
A season’s worth of injuries had whittled Kentucky down to a two-man team. So Marquette came into the game determined to pressure Crawford and Bradley, forcing them to move to find open spaces and shutting down the lane.
Still, they were able to keep the game close through the first half, hitting jumpers and getting to the basket for layups.
Marquette answered with a balanced offense led by upperclassmen who have grown since losing first-round tournament games to Alabama and Michigan State the last two seasons.
This time, the Golden Eagles continually attacked the basket and got scoring from nine players. McNeal had a team-high 20 points. Lazar Hayward and Dominic James contributed 16 and 15, and Wes Matthews was 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final 31 seconds.
“We wanted to put ourselves in position to drive the ball, get to the free-throw line,” coach Tom Crean said.
The strategy worked as Marquette held a 29-17 advantage in free throws. Marquette’s guards also did a good job handling the ball, committing only seven turnovers.
“I think that was key,” Bradley said. “They rely on their guards.”
The Golden Eagles appeared to gain control with about 10 minutes remaining when Bradley picked up his fourth foul. On the next possession, McNeal drove past him for an easy basket and Bradley headed for the bench.
The lead grew to 11 points, but with Bradley shuttling in and out, Crawford heated up. He scored six straight points on his way to a game-high 35 and Kentucky clawed back.
“He kept us in it the whole game,” Bradley said. “Sometimes when I thought there was no way he could make the shot, he knocked them down.”
But in the end, two very talented players could not keep pace with Marquette’s depth. Kentucky was forced to foul in the waning moments and Matthews made it pay.
With three seconds remaining, Crawford fouled out and James followed him to the Kentucky bench to offer words of condolence.
“Good game,” he said. “Keep your head up.”
It was a nice gesture from a mature player. A player who has learned how to win.
