Box Score
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – North Carolina Central University’s Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a game-high 20 points as Marquette University had to use a 15-to-6 run to break open a tie game over the final six minutes to hold off the visiting Eagles 75-66 on Saturday afternoon in front 13,600 fans inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
Head coach LeVelle Moton’s squad was not fazed by a Golden Eagle 10-2 run over a four minute span as MU took a 17-8 lead with 13:49 to go after a Junior Cadougan steal and layup, as junior Stanton Kidd followed it up by drilling a three-pointer to cut the margin to 17-11 just 16 seconds later.
Approximately four minutes later a Juan Anderson dunk put the Marquette lead up to double-figures for the first time of the day at 26-16, but Drimir Ferguson (Bronx, N.Y.) drilled another NCCU shot from the outside to cut the deficit to seven at 26-19.
With 4:02 left in the first frame, Ingram hit a contested jump shot in which he thought he was fouled and led to a technical foul, allowing MU to score five straight points to put the Golden Eagles ahead 40-28, its largest of the day with 3:28 remaining.
Over the final minutes of the first stanza, the visiting Eagles were able to slice the lead to six using a 9-3 run capped by an Ingram three-pointer with 15 seconds left making it 43-37 heading into locker room.
Marquette started the game perfect from the field hitting its first eight shots and finished the first frame shooting 15-for-23 (65.2 percent), while the NCCU was a stellar 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) from the field. Kidd led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting including a 2-for-3 mark from three-point range.
The dramatic second half saw the visiting Eagles commit just two turnovers as opposed to 10 for the Golden Eagles as NCCU cut the MU lead to four at 52-48 on a Kidd layup with 12:38 remaining.
Over the next minute, the maroon and gray went used a Ferguson layup and an Ingram three-pointer to make it a one-point contest with 11:04 to go at 54-53.
Ingram’s layup with 6:27 to go tied the ballgame for the only time in the second half at 60-60 and on the ensuing possession had a chance to take the lead but Alfonzo Houston’s back heel touched the sideline thus causing the turnover.
From that point forward, Marquette went 7-for-8 from the foul line and the Golden Eagles held on for the 75-66 win to move to 7-0 at home in the 2012-13 season.
For the third straight game, Ingram scored 20 points while Kidd nearly recorded another double-double with 19 points and eight rebounds along with three assists and a steal. Ingram finished 4-for-8 from three-point range along with three assists, and a career-high four steals in the loss.
Marquette (9-3) had four players in double figures as Vander Blue and Cadougan both recorded 16-point efforts as sophomore Todd Mayo came off the bench for 12 points in his second game of the season. Davante Gardner, a 6-8, 290-pound center, ended the afternoon with 10 points for the Golden Eagles.
Despite MU’s major size advantage, NCCU was only outscored in the paint 34-to-32 and forced a season-high 20 Golden Eagle turnovers in the loss.
Also contributing for the visiting Eagles, Ferguson added seven points in 14 minutes, while Houston contributed six points and five rebounds in a season-high 24 minutes of action.
With five assists, junior Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) currently has 292 career helpers placing him fifth on the all-time list.
NCCU (6-7) will celebrate the beginning of 2013 with its final nonconference road game of the year against the Eagles of Winthrop University on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m. from the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C.
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