Posted by Graham Watson
BOISE, Idaho -- As the ball rattled from rim to glass back to rim and then eventually through the hoop, Marquette forward
Lazar Hayward -- and the rest of the Marquette team, coaches and fan base -- breathed a sigh of relief.
Little did any of them know that that shot -- which put the Golden Eagles up four with less than 5 seconds remaining -- would be the game-winning basket.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Lazar Hayward scored 26 points, including the game-clinching free throw to push Marquette past Utah State.
Utah State guard
Jaxon Myaer hit a 3-pointer as time expired, but it was not enough as Marquette escaped with a 58-57 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Taco Bell Arena.
It was fitting that Hayward scored the final points since he was the Golden Eagles' most effective player throughout the game. He scored Marquette's first 10 points and finished with 26, just one short of his career high.
Hayward said he didn't expect to play so well.
"I think it comes from the confidence with my teammates, just being able to help those guys," Hayward said. "I never go into a game thinking that I'm going to have a game like that. I just do what I'm supposed to do and whatever happens, happens."
After the game, both teams lamented about missed opportunities. Marquette led by as many as 12 in the first half, yet allowed Utah State to gain momentum late in the half and open the second half with a 10-3 run. Utah State led by as many as six late, but couldn't grab key rebounds and kept sending the Golden Eagles to the free throw line.
In the final 3:42 of the game, with Utah State up 49-45, Marquette shot 14 free throws and made 11. The Golden Eagles made just one field goal during that stretch.
"That was obviously an extremely tough loss," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. "We gave ourselves a chance. We get up six and miss some open shots, turn it over, don't rebound a ball -- all of those kind of things that can happen to you. We battled back in the second half and really gave ourselves a chance to win. As I told these guys at the end, I can't be any prouder of a basketball team than I am this group."
