Billy Garrett Jr. scored seven points in the final four minutes Wednesday, including a game-winning three-point play with 1.1 seconds left, as DePaul squeezed past Marquette, 57-56, for its first Big East win.
DePaul led 45-40 with 9:13 remaining. Marquette (12-7, 2-5 Big East) rallied in front of its home crowd at BMO Harris Bradley Center to take a 52-47 lead with 5:09 left to play.
Then Garrett and the Blue Demons regained control. DePaul (7-12, 1-6) ended five consecutive defensive possessions with steals, three of which were Garrett’s.
Garrett, a junior guard from Chicago, had a hand in all of DePaul’s final 10 points. He scored a layup off his own steal and found forward Rashaun Stimage for an alley-oop layup two possessions later.
After another steal, Garrett found guard R.J. Curington, who got fouled and made one of two free throws. With 1:24 to go, Garrett’s free throws tied the score 54-54.
DePaul faced a 56-54 deficit after Marquette guard Duane Wilson tipped in his own miss with 8.4 seconds left.
On the game’s final play, Garrett drove the length of the floor. After drawing a mismatch with Marquette center Luke Fischer off a screen, the junior guard drove to the rim and finished an acrobatic layup while getting fouled.
His ensuing free throw gave DePaul a 57-56 lead, and Marquette failed to get a half-court heave away before the buzzer.
Garrett struggled with 5-of-19 shooting and four turnovers against Marquette’s top-50 defense, but his hot finish left him with 14 points, five assists and three steals.
While Garrett struggled in the early portion of the game, senior forward Myke Henry led the way with his second double-double of the season, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Wilson led Marquette with 19 points and four assists off the bench.
