(18) Pittsburgh 58 Marquette 51

Out of character and running out of chances.

That was the sum total of the Marquette Golden Eagles' 58-51 loss to the No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers at the Bradley Center on Thursday night.

Questionable shot selection, untimely turnovers, poor interior defense and mental breakdowns - all of it combined to bring MU's five-game winning streak to a screeching halt as the Golden Eagles (16-9, 7-6 Big East) suffered their worst loss in league play to date and tempered NCAA tournament talk for the time being.

“I would say we took ourselves out,” said Lazar Hayward, who moved into fifth place on MU's all-time scoring list with an 11-point night. “We weren't playing together, playing for each other, playing team defense. When we're not playing team defense, we don't play well. When we don't create for each other, we're not a good team.

“It would have been a good one to get. We know exactly why we lost. We're going to go back to work. We know we weren't us today. When we're not together, collectively a 12-man team, we're not very good.”

Jimmy Butler had 14 points and seven rebounds and Darius Johnson-Odom 13 points for MU, which was just one for 10 from three-point range in the second half while allowing Pittsburgh to shoot 60.0% (12 for 20) over that same span.

Four players - Jermaine Dixon, Gary McGhee, Nasir Robinson and Brad Wanamaker - scored 10 points apiece to lead Pittsburgh (20-6, 9-4), which shot 54.8% for the game and a sizzling 68.0% from inside the three-point arc to win its fourth straight.

MU used a 9-2 run to open the second half, with six of the points coming on either dunks or layups as the Golden Eagles regained some of the aggressiveness that led to them falling behind by six points at halftime.

Johnson-Odom got things started with a steal and monstrous dunk on the other end, then added a three from the right wing. A pair of layups by Butler made it 34-33 and got the crowd of 16,486 back into the proceedings.

Pittsburgh wouldn't be rattled, however. Starting with a Wanamaker runner, the Panthers went on a 14-5 run that featured six baskets from point-blank range, including three straight dunks by Dante Taylor that put them back in control at 47-39 with 9 minutes, 27 seconds remaining.

“We're always undermanned inside - everybody knows that,” said MU coach Buzz Williams. “They did a great job of having patience and poise on offense, and we did a real poor job of playing team defense.”

Unable to string together anything resembling another run, the Golden Eagles clamped down defensively to at least give themselves a chance.

Pittsburgh turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions, but MU was only able to turn two of the miscues into points. After a pair of Wanamaker free throws, Hayward converted a three-point play to pull the Golden Eagles within 56-51 with 2:16 to play.

That, however, would represent the extent of MU's comeback.

After a Panthers miss on the other end, the Golden Eagles gave it away on an inbounds play, failing to cash in on an offensive rebound. Then, after Pittsburgh committed a turnover right in front of its own bench, nearly prompting coach Jamie Dixon to keel over in disbelief, Maurice Acker missed a rushed three-pointer that the Panthers rebounded.

Gilbert Brown was fouled but missed the front end of the bonus, leaving the door ajar, but again the best MU could manage was a long three by David Cubillan that missed its mark and landed out of bounds. Then the Golden Eagles committed a cardinal sin, allowing Dixon to get behind them on the inbounds and score on a breakaway.It was an uncharacteristic series of breakdowns and bad decisions in crunch time. Now, having missed a golden opportunity to bolster their résumé, the Golden Eagles will have to make their bones on the road as they head out for a crucial three-game road swing beginning Sunday in Cincinnati.