• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

No. 15 Marquette tops pesky Seton Hall

Feb 1, 2012 - 4:30 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Jae Crowder had 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading No. 15 Marquette to a 66-59 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday night.

Vander Blue added 16 points and Darius Johnson-Odom scored 14 for the Golden Eagles (19-4, 8-2 Big East), who extended their winning streak to seven games since back-to-back losses to Georgetown and Syracuse in earlier January.

Marquette recovered from a 30-26 deficit at halftime and won despite playing without forward Davante Gardner, who is day-to-day with a left knee sprain.

"We showed incredible heart and incredible fortitude," Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. "I think it's as big a win as we've had considering all the obstacles we had to overcome."

Herb Pope scored 16 points and Fuquan Edwin had 13 to lead Seton Hall (15-7, 4-6) but the Pirates dropped their fifth game in a row and remained winless since January 10.

Seton Hall had a six-point lead early in the first half and pushed it as high as 11 on Aaron Cosby's three-pointer, which made it 28-17 with five minutes left before the break.

But Marquette stormed back to score the next seven points and remained within four, 30-26, heading into the locker room.

The Golden Eagles didn't take the lead for good until Blue's layup 7 1/2 minutes into the second half made it 39-38. It sparked a 9-0 run that gave them control, ending in Johnson-Odom's free throws for a 46-38 margin midway through the half.

Seton Hall was within four on Edwin's foul shots with 3:17 remaining, but Marquette went 7-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the win. Crowder and Junior Cadougan took the foul shots.

Game Notes

Marquette leads the all-time series 9-2. Seton Hall won the previous meeting, an 85-72 victory last March 5 that snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Golden Eagles...Gardner is Marquette's third-leading scorer at 9.8 points per game.