Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Junior Cadougan sank a 3-pointer at the
buzzer to force overtime and Vander Blue drained the decisive shot from beyond
the arc in the extra period as Marquette downed Connecticut, 82-76, in the Big
East opener for both teams.
Cadougan finished with 18 points, while Davante Gardner also dropped in 18 and
Blue followed with 13 for Marquette (10-3, 1-0 Big East), which won its third
straight game.
Shabazz Napier finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists for
the Huskies (10-3, 0-1), who had a four-game win streak snapped.
Ryan Boatright had 16 points and Deandre Daniels netted 11 in defeat.
Marquette shot just 30.3 percent from the floor in the first half and went 0-
for-9 from beyond the arc in the frame, but received 12 points off the bench
from Gardner and went 10-for-14 from the foul line to carry a 30-27 advantage
into the break.
The Huskies, meanwhile, connected on 42.9 percent of their shots in a back-
and-forth opening 20 minutes that saw neither team take a lead larger than six
points.
The Golden Eagles opened the second half with seven straight points to open up
a double-digit lead before Connecticut responded with an 11-3 run to get back
within 40-38.
Marquette answered with a 12-4 push to retake a 10-point lead, but the Huskies
again fought back with a 15-5 trek to knot the game at 57-57 with 7 1/2
minutes left in regulation.
It remained a one-possession game from there as the teams traded baskets and
after Boatright's jumper gave Connecticut a 69-66 edge with five seconds
remaining, Cadougan calmly dribbled the ball down the court and sent up a shot
from the right wing that fell through as time expired to force overtime.
Scoring was scarce through the first three minutes of the extra period as all
each team could muster was an opening jumper by Cadougan that was later
followed by an Omar Calhoun 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 72-71 advantage.
Blue's triple with just under two minutes left in the game put Marquette on
top for good and Jamil Wilson followed with a layup on the Golden Eagles' next
touch for a 76-72 lead with 47 seconds remaining.
Connecticut would get no closer than two points from there as Marquette closed
out the game at the foul line.
GAME NOTES:
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