Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Vander Blue tallied 22 points to help the
Marquette Golden Eagles knock off the Pittsburgh Panthers in overtime, 74-67,
in Big East Conference play at Petersen Events Center.
The bench provided a major spark for the Golden Eagles (12-3, 3-0 Big East),
who notched their fifth straight victory. Davante Gardner led the Pitt
reserves with 13 points and eight rebounds, followed by Jamil Wilson with 11
points, and Todd Mayo with 10.
Lamar Patterson knocked down 6-of-7 3-pointers and finished with 22 points to
pace the Panthers (13-4, 1-3). James Robinson and Durand Johnson added 12 and
10 points, respectively.
The Panthers scored the game's first two points, and that matched their
largest lead at any point of the contest. Marquette shot a blistering 61.1
percent from the floor in the opening stanza and hit 5-of-7 3-pointers, yet
the Golden Eagles led by only a 33-30 margin at the half.
Marquette cooled off after intermission, shooting just 38.5 percent from the
floor while missing all seven of its 3-point attempts. The Panthers, who
trailed for the entire second half, forced overtime on Patterson's game-tying
three at the buzzer.
However, the Golden Eagles dominated the extra period and led by as many as 10
with 30 seconds to play. Marquette's bench outscored the Pitt reserves in
overtime, 9-0.
The Golden Eagles helped their cause by going 23-of-30 at the free-throw line
(.767), while Pitt made only 13-of-26 free throws (.500).
GAME NOTES:
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