Penn State tops Marquette, advances to NIT semis

[March 21, 2018]  Sophomore forward Lamar Stevens matched his career high of 30 points to help fourth-seeded Penn State record an 85-80 victory over second-seeded Marquette in an NIT quarterfinal contest on Tuesday at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.

The Nittany Lions will face Mississippi State in the semifinals at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 27. The Bulldogs beat host Louisville 79-56 on Tuesday.

Sophomore guard Tony Carr contributed 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Nittany Lions (24-13), who won for the fifth time in six games. Senior guard Shep Garner made five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points for Penn State, which shot 53.4 percent from the field.

Senior guard Andrew Rowsey made six 3-pointers while scoring 29 points for the Golden Eagles (21-14). Rowsey finished the season with 716 points to break the school's single-season mark set by Dwyane Wade (710 in 2002-03).

Sophomore guard Markus Howard added 21 points and sophomore forward Sam Hauser had 13 for Marquette, which shot 45.9 percent from the field.

Penn State played without injured sophomore center Mike Watkins (knee) and suspended sophomore guard Nazeer Bostick (marijuana-possession charge).

Marquette trailed by 14 points with just over seven minutes remaining before going on a spirited 12-2 burst. Hauser made two 3-pointers during the stretch, including one that bounced off the rim and up to the top of the backboard and briefly rolled on it before dropping through the net.

Howard made two free throws to cap the spurt and pull the Golden Eagles within 69-65 with 3:19 left. Penn State junior guard Josh Reaves knocked down a 3-pointer for his first points of the contest before Rowsey made three free throws to get the deficit back to four.

Stevens answered with back-to-back baskets to give the Nittany Lions a 76-68 lead with 1:38 left, and he delivered a dunk to make it an eight-point margin with one minute remaining. Marquette made another dash to pull within 83-80 on Rowsey's layup with 6.6 seconds to play before Carr sank two free throws to seal the result.

Penn State held a seven-point halftime lead and elevated the advantage to 56-43 on Carr's two free throws with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles trimmed their deficit to eight on Rowsey's three-point play with 3:47 left, but Garner responded with five straight to push the Nittany Lions' lead back to 13.

Carr hit a jumper with four seconds left as Penn State led 63-51 entering the final stanza.

Stevens had 16 first-half points and the Nittany Lions shot 64 percent from the field while taking a 41-34 lead into the break.

--Field Level Media

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