A second-half comeback and a wild back-and-forth ending resulted in Marquette men’s basketball taking a 75-69 loss in double overtime at Fiserv Forum.
After leading by three with 3.3 seconds left to in in the first overtime, Creighton senior guard Alex O’Connell hit a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie it sending the game into double overtime. The Blue Jays pulled away down the stretch in double overtime period as Marquette scored just two points in the frame, going 1-for-7 from the field.
Here’s a breakdown of the loss for the Golden Eagles:
Game MVP: Ryan Kalkbrenner
The seven-foot one sophomore center made his presence felt in the paint the entire game as he led the Bluejays in points (20), rebounds (12), steals (4) and blocks (4). He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line.
“He’s really made a jump,” Creighton head coach Doug McDermott said. “It’s a testament to the work he put in this offseason and it’s paying off for us now.”
Notes:
- Creighton got all but four of their points from the five players who started the game. Four of the five starters including Kalkbrenner scored in double figures.
- Redshirt first-year forward Oso Ighodaro scored a career-high 22 points, shooting 10-for-12 from the field. 16 of those points came after halftime.
- The Golden Eagles finished with 25 points from its bench compared to the Blue Jays’ four points.
- Creighton is now an undefeated 4-0 at Fiserv Forum. No team in the BIG EAST has more than two wins, and the only team in the NBA who has more than two wins against the Bucks as a visitor is the Toronto Raptors.
- It is the first time since March 8, 2014 against St. John’s that Marquette has lost a double overtime game.
- This is only the second game this season where redshirt first-year forward Justin Lewis failed to score in double figures. He had nine points on 4-for-18 shooting, but did lead the team with 12 rebounds.
Injury Report:
First-year guard Kam Jones missed Saturday’s contest due to health and safety protocols, which was announced just before tip-off.
“I feel really, really bad for Kam and Darryl last game having to watch their teammates on TV,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said.
Despite being listed as doubtful for this game after being placed in health and safety protocols Dec. 21, graduate student guard Darryl Morsell was able to go Saturday. He finished with 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting in 35 minutes.
Quote of the Day:
“I really felt like our 15 day break hit us like a train with about 10 to 12 minutes left,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “We feel pretty fortunate to win.”
Up Next:
Marquette (8-6, 0-3 BIG EAST) will stay home to face No. 21 Providence (11-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum. That matchup tips off at 8:00 p.m. CST as Marquette will attempt to end their four-game losing streak.
This article was written by Matt Yeazel. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @MJYeazel.
