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Marquette basketball goes ice-cold against NC State, loses in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
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- Marquette basketball goes ice-cold against NC State, loses in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
DALLAS – The Marquette men's basketball team had lofty goals for the NCAA Tournament.
The second-seeded Golden Eagles wanted to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2003, and it looked like the bracket opened up for them when they faced 11th-seeded North Carolina State in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at American Airlines Center.
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Instead those hopes were buried under a barrage of bricks for MU as it fell, 67-58, in stunning fashion .
Box score: North Carolina State 67, Marquette 58
The Golden Eagles' high-flying offense was grounded. Marquette shot 4 for 31 on three-pointers, and 14 for 23 on free throws.
It was a frigid start for MU.
The Golden Eagles missed their first 8 three-pointers until Kam Jones nailed one to cut the deficit to 24-19.
But the Wolfpack punched back and took a 34-22 advantage on a three-pointer by Jayden Taylor that prompted a timeout from MU head coach Shaka Smart at the 2:27.
David Joplin looks to the officials to make a call during Marquette's game vs. North Carolina State on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Dallas.
Marquette basketball's ugly first half vs. NC State in Sweet 16 ends with David Joplin missing three straight free throws
North Carolina State would add a layup by DJ Burns before Tyler Kolek scored to stop the bleeding.
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MU had a chance to cut into the deficit in the waning seconds of the first half when David Joplin was fouled on a three-point attempt.
But Joplin missed all three free throws to punctuate an ugly half.
The Golden Eagles were 2 for 13 on three-pointers in the first half to fall behind, 37-24. MU was also 2 of 8 on free throws.
Marquette guard Tyler Kolek turns the corner on North Carolina State guard Jayden Taylor.
Tyler Kolek led a struggling Marquette offense
Kolek led Marquette with 14 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting.
MU missed its first four shots of the second half, including 3 three-point attempts by Jones.
The Wolfpack pushed its advantage to 44-28 when Casey Morsell drilled a step-back jumper.
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Social media reacts: Marquette basketball has horrible shooting night in Sweet 16 loss to NC State
MU's defense was getting stops, but the shots weren't falling to get the Golden Eagles back in the game.
Jones knocked down a three to get MU within 48-38, but North Carolina State's D.J. Horne immediately answered with a triple of his own.
Mohamed Diarra's 15 rebounds were huge for NC State
Mohamed Diarra, who had 15 rebounds in the game, then had a putback bucket for the Wolfpack for more breathing room.
MU finally got the deficit into single digits when Oso Ighodaro converted a three-point play to make it 53-45 with 7:26 remaining.
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Chase Ross and Jones missed three-pointers that could have gotten MU closer.
Jones had a three-point play to get MU within 58-51 with 3:39 remaining.
Michael O'Connell's three-pointer that made it 63-52 for North Carolina State with 1:35 left was the dagger.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette goes cold and loses to NC State in March Madness Sweet 16
