No. 4 Marquette survived a UCLA upset bid in a 71-69 thriller at the Maui Invitational Monday night, punching a fourth ticket for a top 10 team to the semifinals.
The Golden Eagles will join No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Purdue and No. 7 Tennessee in semifinal action on Tuesday.
The Golden Eagles trailed 35-30 at halftime in the tournament's nightcap, then mounted a 17-0 second half run to take control of the game en route to a 64-59 lead late in the second half. But Marquette missed five straight free throws down the stretch, opening the door for UCLA to retake a 69-68 lead in the final minute.
But Sean Jones had an answer. The sophomore reserve guard launched a pull-up 3-pointer with 36.3 seconds remaining that retook a 71-69 lead for Marquette.
Fearless 3⃣#MUBB | #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/Dr6k5TNal5
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 21, 2023
UCLA's response on the other end missed the mark, and Marquette secured the win.
Returning All-American Tyler Kolek took a back seat as a scorer while tallying nine points and nine assists on a 3-of-7 shooting night for Marquette. Junior forward David Joplin led the Marquette attack with 19 points and four rebounds. Oso Ighodaro tallied 14 points, and Kam Jones added 12 as the Golden Eagles shot 45.5% from the field to overcome a poor night at the free throw line (10 of 18).
Freshman UCLA guard Sebastian Mack led UCLA with 25 points and six rebounds as the Bruins came up just short of one of the biggest upsets of the young NCAA season.
Marquette advances to face a No. 1 Kansas that cruised past Chaminade, 83-56 behind a 22-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. The effort is the second straight triple-double for the senior guard.
Marquette will take on Kansas at 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday following an 8 p.m. matchup between Kansas and Tennessee. Both games will be on ESPN.|
Edey leads No. 2 Purdue past No. 11 Gonzaga; will face No. 7 Tennessee
On the other half of the bracket, Zach Edey led No. 2 Purdue past No. 11 Gonzaga to set up a semifinal matchup with No. 7 Tennessee. The Vols easily defeated Syracuse 73-56 earlier Monday.
Purdue opened a 6-0 lead on Gonzaga with three straight made buckets. Gonzaga then countered with a 14-0 run en route to a 20-12 lead, hitting three 3-pointers in the process. By halftime, the Bulldogs had connected on six of 19 3-point attempts while building a five-point lead. They wouldn't hit another.
At halftime Monday, Gonzaga looked primed for an upset of No. 2 Purdue.
But Gonzaga's shooters went cold as Purdue repeatedly looked to Zach Edey in the post to secure a 73-63 win in the first round of the Maui Invitational. Purdue rallied from a 35-30 halftime deficit and controlled the latter portion of the second half for a convincing win over the nation's No. 11 team. The win sets up a top-10 showdown with No. 7 Tennessee on Tuesday.
The Boilermakers opened the second half with a 10-4 run to retake a 40-39 lead in a game that was back-and-forth through most of the half. But Purdue outscored Gonzaga 17-10 in the final 6:46 to extend a 56-53 lead into a 10-point win. The Bulldogs missed all 13 of their second-half 3-point attempts while the Boilermakers dominated the post.
Edey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks after struggling from the field in a 4-of-11 first half. He shot 8-of-16 for the game. Gonzaga had no answer for the 7-foot-4 All-American while countering with 6-foot-9 junior forward Graham Ike as the primary presence in the post.
Zach Edey was DOMINANT in No. 2 @BoilerBall's win over No. 11 Gonzaga 😤 pic.twitter.com/FGmhMkKdPB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 21, 2023
Purdue likewise struggled from long distance in a 4-for-17 effort. But it continually exploited its advantage in the paint on a 46.7% shooting effort from the field while doubling Gonzaga's free-throw tally with 16 attempts at the line. Edey accounted for the majority of those free throws on a 9-for-10 effort.
Ike led Gonzaga with 14 points and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs seek a new identity after the departure of senior All-American Drew Timme. Ike joined Gonzaga from Wyoming alongside former Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard as high-profile acquisitions in the transfer portal.
Nembhard tallied 11 points, tied for second on the team with returning junior guard Nolan Hickman. Nembhard exacerbated Gonzaga's long-distance struggles on a 1-for-9 effort from beyond the arc.
The win is the first over a ranked team for Purdue this season as the Boilermakers look to bounce back from last season's historic disappointment in the NCAA tournament. The Boilermakers lost to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson as the second No. 1 seed to lose in the first round. They return all five starters from last season's team, including Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year.
Purdue advances to face Tennessee, which defeated Syracuse 73-56 earlier Monday. They'll play at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday on ESPN. Gonzaga will face Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.