CHICAGO — Marquette basketball made history Thursday afternoon as NBC broadcast its first Golden Eagles game in 40 years, but the milestone was overshadowed by a crushing 75-74 loss to Oklahoma in Chicago.
The Golden Eagles led for more than 30 minutes and held as much as a 13-point advantage before falling to 4-4 on the season in a game that slipped away in the final moments.
"We had a lot of guys make some really, really winning plays at times today, we just were one or two plays away from putting it together the way that we needed to," Marquette coach Shaka Smart said after the loss.
Chase Ross led Marquette with 21 points and had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but his shot fell short. The senior forward hit a clutch three-pointer to tie the game 72-72 with under a minute remaining, keeping the Golden Eagles' hopes alive.
Watch: Marquette falls to Oklahoma 75-74
Freshman Nigel James Jr. provided a bright spot for Marquette, scoring a career-high 20 points and knocking down key three-pointers throughout the contest. James helped stake Marquette to an early eight-point lead with his outside shooting.
Oklahoma's Tae Davis proved to be the difference-maker down the stretch, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds while shooting nearly perfectly from the floor. Davis tied the game at 54-54 with a crucial rebound and putback in the second half.
The Sooners' Derrion Reid hit the go-ahead three-pointer that ultimately sealed the victory, putting Oklahoma up three points in the final minute.
Marquette started hot from three-point range, connecting on five of their first seven attempts, but went cold in the second half. The Golden Eagles endured a nearly seven-minute stretch without a field goal as Oklahoma mounted its comeback.
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