Marquette used some late-game heroics to eliminate Davidson (14) in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Thanks to Vander Blue, who scored on a layup in the final seconds, Marquette topped Davidson 58-57 avoiding the upset.
Blue took it to the hole and gave Marquette the victory and it was all Blue in the final minutes of action. With 1:33 remaining in the game, Blue scored nine of Marquette's last 12 points. The only other person to score was Jamil Wilson, but it was Blue who found him for the three. So that's 12 points which Blue helped put on the board.
Blue finished the game 5-15 shooting with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Wilson, who popped up from the bench shot just as bad going 4-13 from the field, but added 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. All in all, the Golden Eagles had a dreadful night from the floor as they combined to shoot 34.5 percent as a team and 4-15 from the line for 26.7 percent.
Despite the struggles, Davidson couldn't make their free throws and couldn't take full advantage of Marquette's struggles from the field. They had a nine-point lead with 5:23 remaining in the game, but they couldn't hold on. They had a chance to put the game away with a possession at the seven second mark, but De'mon Brooks turned the ball over, which allowed Marquette to regain possession and eventually Blue finished off the deal.
With the victory, No. 3 Marquette survived a possible upset and moves on to face Butler in the third round of the tournament. Butler defeated Bucknell earlier on Thursday.
