CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Dent scored 21 points and No. 10 seed New Mexico took control late in the second half to defeat seventh-seeded Marquette 75-66 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Richard Pitino joined his father in the second round after New Mexico (27-7) snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament losing streak and won its first game since 2012. Rick Pitino has No. 2 seed St. John's playing its next game Saturday against Arkansas.
Dent, the Mountain West Player of the Year, had six points in the first half but found his rhythm in the second half. He had four points during a 10-0 Lobos run that broke the game open.
Nelly Junior Joseph added 19 points for New Mexico, which will play second-seeded Michigan State or 15 seed Bryant on Sunday in the second round of the South Region.
Joseph made a layup with 6:17 remaining that put the Lobos up 59-58. The second half went back-and-forth with three ties and eight lead changes before New Mexico took control.
David Joplin led Marquette (23-11) with 28 points, including six 3-pointers. Kam Jones added 15 points.
Joplin bounced back after going 1 for 7 from beyond the arc in the Big East Tournament semifinal game against St. John’s. In the three games previous to that, he was 9 of 17 on 3-pointers.
Takeaways
New Mexico: It is the first time since 1999 that the Lobos have won a first-round game as the lower seed.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles made the Sweet 16 last year but went one-and-done this time. They are 1-3 in the tournament as the seventh seed.
Up next
The Lobos will be looking to reach a regional semifinal for the first time since 1974 on Sunday.
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