Sean Jones #22 of the Marquette Golden Eagles dribbles the ball against Ben Nau #2 of the St. Thomas - Minnesota Tommies during the first half at Fiserv Forum on December 14, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Oso Ighodaro scored 21 points, Tyler Kolek had 12 points and 10 assists, and No. 7 Marquette hung on to beat St. Thomas (Minnesota) 84-79 on Thursday night in the Golden Eagles’ final game before opening Big East competition.
Kolek went 6 of 6 on free throws over the final 1:03 to seal the victory.
One night after UNLV upset No. 8 Creighton and Chicago State shocked No. 25 Northwestern, Marquette (9-2) got all it could handle from a Summit League program in its third season in Division I.
The Golden Eagles, who were a 25 1/2-point favorite according to FanDuel Sportsbook, led by one point with three minutes left, and the Tommies (6-5) kept it competitive until the final seconds.
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Drake Dobbs scored 14 points, Kendall Blue 13, Ben Nau 12, Carter Bjerke 11 and Parker Bjorklund 10 for St. Thomas. Kam Jones had 13 points, Chase Ross 11 and David Joplin 10 for Marquette.
Marquette led by as many as 13 early in the second half and had a 73-64 advantage with four minutes left when St. Thomas went on a burst.
After Nau hit a 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining, Ighodaro pushed Bjorklund's neck as they fought for position on the ensuing inbounds pass. Ighodaro was called for a flagrant-1 foul, giving St. Thomas two free throws and possession.
Bjorklund hit both free throws and then sank a 3-pointer to make it 73-72 with 3:40 remaining. Ighodaro made two free throws on Marquette’s next possession, but Bjorklund hit a layup to make it 75-74 with 3:01 left.
Ross sank a 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining to give Marquette some breathing room. Dobbs’ jumper cut the lead to 78-76 with 1:20 left, but Kolek's free throws helped Marquette stay in front the rest of the way.
BIG PICTURE
St. Thomas: The Tommies' shooting made this one interesting. St. Thomas shot 13 of 34 (38.2%) on 3s. Because Marquette had to worry about St. Thomas' ability from distance, the Tommies went 16 of 21 from inside the arc.
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Marquette: The Golden Eagles' lethargic performance shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. Marquette is going through final exams this week, and this game followed lopsided victories over then-No. 12 Texas and Notre Dame. The defending Big East champions will have to perform much better as they enter conference play.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas: Hosts Crown (Minnesota) College on Sunday.
Marquette: Opens its Big East schedule at Providence on Tuesday.