Tyler Kolek sharp in return as No. 2 Marquette beats Western Kentucky
Kolek scored 10 points in the first seven minutes of the game and made two long threes on his first two shots of the game, helping Marquette (26-9) take an early 26-17 lead.
Marquette moves on to Sunday’s Indianapolis second round. Either No. 7 seed Florida or No. 10 seed Colorado will play the Golden Eagles.
Marquette moves on to Sunday’s Indianapolis second round. Either No. 7 seed Florida or No. 10 seed Colorado will play the Golden Eagles.
Kam Jones led Marquette with 28 points and five 3-pointers made. David Joplin contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Stevie Mitchell scored 16 more points.
There were a combined 14 turnovers in the opening 11 minutes, with Western Kentucky (22-12) committing nine. The Hilltoppers had 18 for the game.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. scored 17 of his team-leading 21 in the first half while Don McHenry was the only other Hilltopper in double figures with 11 point.
A slick cross-over dribble by McHenry led to an open jumper that he drained to give the Hilltoppers a 32-31 lead. The triple was part of a 9-0 run that put Western Kentucky up, 34-31.
Another 9-0 spurt capped WKU’s 24-5 run that gave them a 43-33 lead with 1:40 left in the half, thrilling the fans who made the 225-mile trek north from Bowling Green, Ky. to support the Hilltoppers.
Ben Gold’s driving layup with two seconds left in the half closed WKU’s lead to 43-36 at the break.
Khristian Lander’s trey just over a minute into the second half put WKU back up eight, 46-38.
But Marquette’s faithful finally got into the game in the second half as the Golden Eagles outscored the Hilltoppers, 15-2, over the next four minutes.
