NOTRE DAME, Ind.—He was going to hit that go-ahead three-pointer, even if he had to dribble almost all the way around the arc to give himself enough space.

Did Steve Novak force the shot? Certainly.

But desperate times …

Marquette's senior forward had made just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc with less than seven minutes remaining and his team down 56-54.

"I thought we had him under control," said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, whose famous last words were followed up by, "… until he hit some big ones."

Novak's desperate measures — a forced three-pointer and subsequent trey 42 seconds later — gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good in their 80-72 victory at Notre Dame on Saturday.

"It was just a matter of time for Steve," said Marquette head coach Tom Crean. "If Steve would have stopped shooting, he would have come out of the game … He has a very short memory when it comes to his shot, and that's what a great shooter has to have."

Notre Dame's star shooters, on the other hand, seemed to be reliving memories of all the close games the team has lost this season, most recently a 75-74 overtime defeat at Connecticut.

Going in, Saturday's match-up should have been a showcase for long-range shooting between Novak and Notre Dame's leading scorers, Chris Quinn and Colin Falls. For a majority of the game, however, the two best three-point shooting teams in the conference were tossing up bricks.

"One of the things they love to do is lull you to sleep on the weak side and go off of screens," said Marquette freshman Dominic James. "I was always trying to stay focused on Falls and not let him get his feet set 'cause I know a lot of shooters like to be comfortable in their shots."

Quinn and Falls combined to shoot 4-of-21 from the field and 3-of-12 from beyond the arc, and Falls' sole made three-pointer came in the final minute of the game.

Marquette's struggles (3-of-14 from three in the first half), however, were more baffling, given that the Fighting Irish ranked last in the Big East in points allowed per game and second to last in three-point percentage defense.

Brey was correct about his team's defense before Novak buried the late three-pointers. Falls forced Novak to shot fake on two occasions (both misses) in the first half, forcing the Marquette senior to rush his footwork.

For Marquette, Crean praised the defensive effort of his backcourt.

"The biggest key was to defend Quinn and Falls at the three-point line," Crean said.

James did more than just contain the perimeter. When Notre Dame stole the ball down just 63-60 with a little more than two minutes left, the freshman intercepted a long diagonal pass like a free safety in football.

A minute later, James came off his man to block the layup attempt of Quinn, yet another dispiriting moment the Notre Dame senior would rather forget in a season devoid of happiness.

In contrast, when things fall into place the way they have for Marquette this season, memories of missed opportunities do not affect the next shot attempt.