Wade helps declaw Bearcats with 26 points

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Dwyane Wade swore Marquette's victory over Cincinnati was special because it gave the Golden Eagles their first Conference USA crown and not because it represented his last hurrah at home.

Wade, a junior who is expected to be an NBA lottery pick, scored 26 points in the eighth-ranked Golden Eagles' 70-61 victory Saturday.

Wade won't say what his plans are, but the 18,790 fans who packed the Bradley Center, the second-largest crowd ever to see a college basketball game in Wisconsin, knew this probably was their last chance to see him wearing blue and gold.

Wade admitted he was sentimental but not because this was goodbye.

"I just wanted to get the conference championship,'' he said. "It was time for me to step up, make some shots and get my teammates the ball. The only sentiment I had was my mother was here.''

Wade had 10 rebounds, including four consecutive in the closing minutes to help the Golden Eagles (23-4, 14-2) become the first team other than Cincinnati to win the regular-season title outright in the eight seasons Conference USA has been in existence.

"That's what made it sweet,'' Wade said. "A lot of people will never forget this championship that Marquette won.''

Especially if Wade, who topped 20 points for the 18th straight time, chooses not to postpone his NBA career any longer and this was indeed his farewell.

Robert Jackson added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles, while Scott Merrritt had 12 points and Travis Diener 10.

The Bearcats (17-10, 9-7) were hoping for a victory to gain a first-round bye in the league tournament that starts Wednesday in Louisville. But they shot 39 percent in the second half.

Their leading scorer, Leonard Stokes, finished with 10 points, two after halftime. Reserve Tony Bobbitt led Cincinnati with 15 points and Armein Kirkland had 11.

Kirkland's basket with 3:40 left pulled the Bearcats to 64-61, but Cincinnati didn't score again.

After fans rushed the court, Marquette coach Tom Crean accepted the trophy and the school honored its lone senior, Jackson, a Milwaukee native who transferred from Mississippi State two seasons ago and redshirted last year.

"Mississippi State's loss has certainly been all of our gain,'' Crean said. "There's no way we win those games we won last year without him at practice and there's no way we do what we've done this year without Robert Jackson in the lineup.''

Marquette, enjoying its highest ranking in 25 years, trailed until Jackson's basket underneath three minutes into the second half put the Eagles ahead 38-37 in what was the only lead change the entire game.

After that, seniors Barker and Stokes each missed two free throws and the Golden Eagles, down by nine in the first half, began pulling away.

"I think the momentum changed when we missed four consecutive free throws,'' Bearcats coach Bob Huggins said. "I think that's demoralizing. That's why they call them free. And you've got your two seniors out there.''

Cincinnati, which had been the top seed in each of the seven previous Conference USA tournaments, won't have the luxury of a bye this time, and they tried to put a positive spin on their unfamiliar position as underdog.

"I think it's better for us,'' Kirkland said. "We get to go down there and win a game, get some momentum going to win the tournament.''

Huggins said the Bearcats needed to win to keep their NCAA hopes alive.

"We need to win some games to pad our resume,'' he said. "If we could ever make a wide-open shot, we'll have a chance to win the tournament.''

The top-seeded Golden Eagles should have something to say about that.

"This was just one step,'' Wade said. "It was one championship that we wanted and we got more to go.''