Marquette was bound to lose a game nobody expected it to at some point this season; the squad's narrow escapes against Idaho State and Valparaiso were just a little too unsettling.

With 29 seconds left in Saturday's Blue & Gold championship game, senior Andre Smith went to the foul line for a 1-and-1 with a chance to put North Dakota State (4-2) up by five points. The crowd noise thumped throughout the Bradley Center as the official handed him the ball. Smith quieted the fans with two swishes, dropping an exclamation point at the end of a night in which his career-high 26 points led the Bisons to a 64-60 win over No. 8 Marquette (8-1).

"I really didn't think like I had to take over," Smith said. "We've got a lot of other guys that can play ball. I just did what I could, and everybody else did what they could. I just happened to do a lot more."

Marquette, on the other hand, could not find that go-to player in the clutch.

With 5:13 remaining and Marquette trailing 47-44, Marquette coach Tom Crean substituted freshman David Cubillan into the game for sophomore Dominic James. James had struggled all night and was 2-for-9 from the field with four points at that juncture. Crean kept him on the bench until the 1:34 mark, but the insertion did little to bring Marquette back.

Though Crean did not single anyone out, he hinted that he was flustered by James' effort.

"There were very few times tonight when there was a 'rah-rah let's get your teammate going' spirit," Crean said. "And it happened when I went to the bench, which maybe means I've got the wrong guys on the bench and the wrong guys in the starting lineup."

Jerel McNeal's play was one of the Golden Eagles' few positives. The sophomore scored 16 points on 8-of-17 shooting and grabbed seven steals to help lead a late rally.

After Cubillan drilled a three to bring Marquette within 58-52, McNeal picked off the inbounds pass in the left corner. He dribbled twice and layed it in to pull the Golden Eagles to within four with 59 seconds left.

In a panic, Bison guard Ben Woodside elected to shoot a contested layup after he broke the press instead of trying to burn clock. The shot bounced off the backboard without hitting the rim, and James gathered the rebound.

Marquette dribbled up the floor quickly with momentum on its side but was unable to capitalize when sophomore Wesley Matthews' three-point attempt rimmed out with 44 seconds left.

Smith hit four straight free throws to secure the win, capping off a dazzling night in which he shot 11-of-18 from the field.

Smith "is quicker than some of (Marquette's) big guys in there so he used his pump fakes and spin moves to get into the lane near the basket," said sophomore Mike Nelson, who was named tournament MVP.

Nelson pulled a quick trigger from long range all night, hitting 4-of-6 three-pointers, and finished with 19 points. But when he picked up his fourth foul with 9:06 remaining and the Bisons up 45-40, the team was forced to deal without his hot hand. Smith made Nelson's foul trouble a non-issue, using a plethora of spin moves and bank shots down the stretch, abusing Marquette's post defenders in the process.

"This group has been in some tough environments, and they love this," said North Dakota State coach Tim Miles, whose Bison defeated Wisconsin on the road last season. "This is what we're here for."

From the opening tip, the Bison made it clear that they were not a pushover. They jumped out to a 24-14 lead with 6:39 left in the first half after Smith ripped the ball from Marquette at midcourt and dribbled in for a layup. Crean called a timeout, and the Golden Eagles closed the gap, trailing 28-24 at halftime.

At the time, it seemed Marquette, which shot 28.6 percent in the first half, had dodged a bullet. But the Bison picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, never relinquishing their lead.

"We got manhandled tonight," Crean said.

He added that Marquette's lack of defensive intensity led to low-percentage shots because the team was unable to fast break much. The Golden Eagles finished 4-of-20 from beyond the arc.