Marquette loses their third conference game to Creighton in a 75-69 contest. The Golden Eagles were able to come back from a 17 point deficit and extend the game to two overtimes, however fell short in the final minutes.
Redshirt freshman Oso Ighodaro led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 22 points while shooting 10-12 from the field. Ighodaro also managed to grab five rebounds as well.
Marquette struggled in the first half offensively as they managed to only score 24 points. Redshirt freshman Justin Lewis got the ball rolling as he connected on the first three point shot of the game. Their lead didn’t last long as Creighton in a blink of an eye, went on a 15 to two run. Creighton led the game 17-7 with 10:44 remaining in the first half.
As the first half continued, Marquette was able to pick up on some momentum and cut the first half deficit to just three. After a made layup by Ighodaro, the Golden Eagles trailed Creighton 27-24 with 2:20 remaining.
Creighton was able to connect on a layup while being fouled, then made the free throw as the first half came to a close. Creighton led 30-24.
Marquette started the second half slow and got behind fast. Creighton was able to begin the second half on a 11 to nothing run which brought their lead to 17 points. The Bluejays led 41-24 three minutes into the second half of play.
As the game went on, Marquette was starting to come into their own as they cut the deficit down to just one possession. A made layup by redshirt freshman Tyler Kolek brought the game to a 53-50 game. Creighton led with 3:54 remaining.
Back and forth the two teams went and in the final minutes of play Ighodaro connected on another dunk which brought electricity through the crowd. This tied the game 58-58 with zero time left on the clock in regulation.
It seemed to look like Marquette was going to run away with the game as they looked like the better team in the first overtime. At one point the Golden Eagles were up five points, but couldn’t hold onto the lead. Creighton’s guard Alex O’Connell made a ridiculous three point shot to tie the game once again.
Creighton took control back in the game as they didn’t trail after Marquette made their first bucket in double overtime. Creighton sealed the game, winning 75-69.
Marquette shot the ball decently as they shot 38.2 percent from the field. The team struggled shooting from the perimeter, as they just made five, three point shots while just shooting 26.3 percent.
The Golden Eagles did a good job on the defensive end, collecting nine steals and seven blocks during the game. They also forced 16 turnovers from Creighton and held them to just shooting 36.1 percent from the field.
Marquette will continue their conference play as they face off against No. 21 ranked Providence Tuesday, January 4th. Tipoff is set for 8pm CT.
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