Buzzer beater layup does the trick
LEXINGTON, KY.— Vander Blue had no doubt where he was going with the ball. The Marquette guard’s only concern was whether he’d have room to make it happen. Blue needed just four seconds to make his own path. Taking Jamil Wilson’s inbounds pass at midcourt with 5.5 seconds remaining, he drove left past Jake Cohen for a layup that completed a rally from nine points down and gave the third-seeded Golden Eagles an improbable 59-58 victory over No. 14 Davidson in Thursday’s second-round NCAA tournament game. “All I was thinking was, ‘If I get to the rim, I have to finish,’ ” said Blue, who scored seven of Marquette’s final 10 points including a threepointer with 28 seconds left. Blue was there to ensure time ran out on Davidson, intercepting the last-ditch inbounds pass to seal a remarkable rally and set off a noisy celebration among players and Golden Eagles fans at Rupp Arena. Marquette advanced to Saturday’s third round against Butler, a 68-56 winner over Bucknell.
It’s mostly thanks to Blue and Wilson.
Blue finished with 16 points while Wilson added 14, but their consecutive three-pointers brought Marquette to within one at 58-57 with11 seconds left.
The Golden Eagles then caught a huge break when De’Mon Brooks’ long inbounds pass went out of bounds at midcourt with 5.5 seconds left, providing another opportunity.
“De’Mon just threw it a little too far,” said Davidson forward Jake Cohen, who scored a game-high 20 points. “That’s how it goes sometimes.”
Marquette’s Canadian guard Junior Cadougan, of Toronto, finished with four points, five rebounds and no assists in 27 minutes.