HONOLULU (AP) — Sean Jones hit a straightaway 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to lift No. 4 Marquette to a 71P-69 win over UCLA in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal on Monday.
David Joplin scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers for the Golden Eagles (4-0) made 11.. Oso Ighodaro scored nine of his 14 points after halftime, Kam Jones had 12 points and Tyler Kolek added nine points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Sebastian Mack, who scored 16 of his career-high 25 points in the second half for the Bruins (3-1).
UCLA held a late 69-68 lead after Adem Bona’s spin move and bucket inside with 53 seconds to play. However, Jones answered with his 3-pointer to put Marquette back ahead for good.
The Bruins had two chances to tie it or pull ahead in the final seconds, but Lazar Stefanovic’s 3-pointer rimmed out, as did Mack’s last-ditch layup just before the final buzzer.
UCLA led by as many as eight in the first half after Lazar Stefanovic’s dunk off an inbounds pass with 7:38 left until halftime. Marquette cut it to a two-point game with a baseline drive and layup by Kam Jones at the 1:13 mark of the half, but UCLA found some breathing room with Will McClendon’s 3-pointer from the left wing just before halftime.
The Bruins held a 35-30 lead at the intermission.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA had held its first three opponents to an average of just 50.7 points per game. It held the Golden Eagles to 12-of-31 shooting from the field in the first half, but saw them hit on 13 of 24 field goals after the break.
Marquette won despite just nine points from Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year and a Preseason AP All-American.
UP NEXT
UCLA will try to bounce back when it takes on tournament-host Chaminade in a consolation game Tuesday.
Marquette will have less than 24 hours to recuperate before it takes on No. 1 Kansas in Tuesday’s semifinal round.
