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--- men_s_basketball:nd_03_06_10 [2010/03/14 05:45]
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+++ men_s_basketball:nd_03_06_10 [2020/12/07 16:49] (current)
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 {{men_s_basketball:teams_nd.gif|}} **Notre Dame 63 {{men_s_basketball:teams_marquette.gif|}} Marquette 60**
-===== Recap  =====
+===== Golden Eagles Fail to Hold Lead, Lose in OT  =====
+{{  men_s_basketball:03_06_10_hayward.jpg?300}}Rarely over the past six weeks have the Marquette Golden Eagles failed to take advantage of an opportunity.
+Perhaps that's what made their 63-60 overtime loss to Notre Dame at the Bradley Center on Saturday so surprising. Having made winning close games seem almost routine lately, the Golden Eagles this time fell prey to a Fighting Irish team desperate to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
+MU held a seven-point lead with 1 minute 19 seconds remaining only to be forced into its fourth extra session in the past five games when Carleton Scott hit a three-pointer with three-tenths of a second left. The Golden Eagles never recovered, missing their first five shots of overtime en route to only their second loss since Jan. 23.
+It was a tough but probably fitting end to a game in which MU seemed out of sync and a step slow from the start.
+"Didn't think that we played with the edge that we have to play with, or followed the recipe that we have to follow every single possession," said coach [[Buzz Williams]]. "Congratulations to Notre Dame. That's not how we wanted to finish the season at home, but that's the way that it is."
+In the short term, the loss didn't mean much to MU (20-10, 11-7 Big East), which already had locked up fifth place in the Big East and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. But it could matter a week from now, with regard to its NCAA tournament chances.
+Winning nine of their last 11, with victories over Connecticut and Louisville included, would appear to have put the Golden Eagles in strong position for their fifth consecutive at-large bid. Failing to close out the Irish, though, puts more pressure on MU to put forth a strong showing in New York in order to secure a more favorable seeding on Selection Sunday.
+"I think it was God's way of showing us one more time before we left the Bradley Center that if we're not going to be exactly who we have to be on both ends of the floor, then we get beat," said Williams. "It doesn't matter who we play, where we play, what time we play - if we're not us, we will lose. And if we are us, then I like our chances."
+Senior [[Lazar Hayward]] scored 18 points in his final home game before fouling out early in overtime, moving past [[George Thompson]] into second place on the school's all-time scoring list.
+[[Jimmy Butler]] added 16 points and eight rebounds and [[Darius Johnson-Odom]] 12 points as MU was outrebounded by 12, went just 4 for 23 from three-point range and attempted six fewer free throws (14) than Notre Dame made (20).
+Tim Abromaitis led the Irish (21-10, 10-8) with 18 points, while Scott added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Both were big reasons Notre Dame was able to send the game into overtime, along with Tyrone Nash (13 points).
+With MU leading, 50-43, after a pair of [[Maurice Acker]] free throws, Nash hit a pair of his own to make it 50-45. After Hayward split a pair of free throws, Abromaitis hit his first three-pointer in six tries to that point to narrow the gap to 51-48 with 51.8 seconds remaining.
+The best the Golden Eagles could manage coming out of a Notre Dame timeout was a missed three by Hayward with 16.0 seconds left. Scott rebounded, the Irish brought the ball up court and eventually found Abromaitis deep in the right corner.
+His shot was short but was rebounded by Nash, who then had the ball batted out of his hands by Hayward. Guard Ben Hansbrough came up with it in the lane, however, gathered himself and found Scott camped out at the top of the key alone.
+The junior forward rose up and coolly swished the three, tying it at 51-51 and stunning the crowd of 18,942.
+"We played everything the right way," Williams said. "I mean, it's just the way it went - scrum for a loose ball, somehow it falls to him. It was a good shot. But I wasn't upset with our kids on how we defended it."
+Notre Dame then scored the first five points of overtime, and MU played catch-up the rest of the way. It got to within 58-56 on a Butler three with 22.4 seconds left, but Abromaitis was able to hit 3 of 4 free throws sandwiched around a Johnson-Odom layup to make it 61-58 with 6.8 seconds left.
+Coach Mike Brey then elected to foul Johnson-Odom before he could get a look at a three, sending him to the line with 3.8 seconds remaining. He hit both, then Abromaitis hit two on the other end to again give the Irish a three-point cushion.
+All MU could muster from there was a shot from beyond half-court by [[David Cubillan]] that didn't come close.
+In the final analysis, it was 10 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points in the second half that helped doom the Golden Eagles.
+"I thought they got every 50-50 ball in the second half," said Williams. "Tipped balls, balls on the floor. We got some in one stretch, but the rest of the time I thought they got all of them."
 ===== Box Score =====

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