Justin Lewis’ tip-in at the buzzer gives Marquette upset victory over No. 7 Wisconsin
There were no fans in the stands at Fiserv Forum for the 127th men’s basketball meeting between Marquette and No. 7 Wisconsin.
The teams still delivered a tense battle befitting the state’s biggest hoops rivalry.
Freshman forward Justin Lewis tapped in a rebound off a missed free throw at the buzzer, lifting Marquette to a 67-65 victory on Friday night.
Only four games into his college career, Lewis has been lauded for his nose for rebounds. He added his name to the lore of this series on a night he finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
The victory improved the Golden Eagles to 3-1. The seventh-ranked Badgers fell to 3-1 with their first loss.
D.J. Carton earned his first start with the Golden Eagles, taking the place of point guard Symir Torrence, and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. He had come off the bench in the first three games and averaged 7.7 points in 23 minutes. While trying to knock off the rust from his transfer from Ohio State, Carton had seven assists against nine turnovers in those first three games.
MU was coming off a dreadful performance against Oklahoma State in which the Golden Eagles committed 24 turnovers. MU started the game against UW by committing a shot-clock violation.
The teams struggled shooting early, combining to open 4 for 15 on the floor.
Shots eventually starting to fall with MU’s Dawson Garcia knocking down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 14-14. UW’s Micah Potter responded with a left-handed layup to retake the lead at the 11:29 mark
Badgers starters Nate Reuvers, Brad Davison and Potter all ran into foul trouble in the next few minutes, each picking up their second personals.
MU couldn’t take immediate advantage when those players went to the bench, turning the ball over on three straight possessions.
The Golden Eagles grabbed a 27-22 lead on two free throws from Dexter Akanno, the redshirt sophomore’s first career points.
The Badgers bounced back with an 8-0 run that included two 3-pointers from senior guard D’Mitrik Trice.
But UW did not score in the final 2 minutes 12 seconds of the first half.
Lewis hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give MU the lead at 32-30 with 45 seconds remaining.
After Trice missed a 3-pointer, the Golden Eagles held the ball for the last possession of the half. After a defensive switch, Carton hit a step-back 3-pointer over UW’s Aleem Ford in the waning seconds and MU went into the locker room with a 35-30 advantage.
Neither team was especially crisp on the offensive end in the opening 20 minutes, but MU’s defense was active and held UW to 11 for 35 shooting (35.5%).
The Golden Eagles were 13 for 17 on free throws in the first half while the Badgers were 4 for 4.
UW immediately erased the five-point halftime deficit by scoring five straight points in the opening 1:30 of the second half, prompting a timeout from MU coach Steve Wojciechowski. MU responded with jumpers from Koby McEwen and Jamal Cain.
Reuvers gave UW the lead again on a 3-pointer and the team battled back-and-forth.
MU center Theo John picked up his fourth foul with 8:51 remaining and the Golden Eagles clinging to a 50-47 lead. Lewis replaced him, giving MU a young frontline with Lewis and Garcia, another freshman.
Lewis delivered a short jumper to give MU a 52-49 advantage and Garcia followed with a jump hook.
The Golden Eagles couldn’t pull away.
Trice hit two free throws with two minutes remaining to give UW a 57-56 lead.
John immediately answered with a bucket while getting fouled. However, he missed the free throw.
After a free throw by UW’s Tyler Wahl tied the game at 58-58, Carton darted in for a layup with 1:30 remaining.
The teams traded baskets – a 3-pointer by Ford, a layup by Lewis and a layup by Reuvers.
Carton hit another layup for a 64-63 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Trice nailed a clutch jumper with five seconds remaining. But he fouled Carton on a drive in the waning seconds.
Carton nailed one free throw with .9 seconds remaining. He missed the second and Lewis tapped the ball up toward the basket. It bounced in and set off pandemonium.