New Mexico tops Marquette to advance in NCAA Tournament
Mar. 21—CLEVELAND — New Mexico surged into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 75-66 upset victory over Marquette on Friday.
The 10th-seeded Lobos finished the game on a 22-11 run against the No. 7 Golden Eagles to beat the Big East team and win a tournament game for the first time since 2012.
Donovan Dent, the Mountain West Player of the Year, finished with 21 points, six assists and eight turnovers. For much of the game, he played less in control than fans are used to seeing from the honorable mention All-American.
Still, the Lobos (27-7) held a 35-32 lead at the break, though they squandered a few opportunities that would have increased their lead. Dent had eight points on 3-of-8 shooting to go along with two assists and five turnovers at the half.
Marquette (23-11) pulled ahead 55-53 on a David Joplin bucket with 8:43 left in the game.
Then, Dent began to look like Dent.
The junior point guard scored eight of UNM's next 10 points and assisted on two other buckets, including a Tru Washington corner jumper with 3:15 left to put UNM up 67-58.
The Rocket Arena crowd was smelling upset for the Mountain West regular season champions.
"I thought we played really hard. I gotta lot of respect for Marquette. Terrific win for our program," UNM coach Richard Pitino said in an on-air interview after the game.
Nelly Junior Joseph finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Washington added 12 points and three steals. C.J. Noland came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 11 points.
Joplin hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 28 points to lead Marquette. Second team All-America guard Kam Jones chipped in 15 points.
UNM will play the winner of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 15 Bryant on Sunday in Cleveland.
This story will be updated.
—
Topics
-
Marquette vs New Mexico schedule, TV channel: How to watch March Madness NCAA Tournament game
What time is the Marquette vs New Mexico NCAA Tournament game? How to watch Eagles vs Lobos March Madness game on Friday, March 21 on TV.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Marquette vs. New Mexico, March Madness predictions, time: 2025 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
SportsLine's model revealed its college basketball predictions for New Mexico Lobos vs. Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday in the first round of the 2025 NCAA TournamentCBS Sports - 16h -
How to watch UNM vs. Marquette today in first round of NCAA March Madness tournament
The Mountain West regular-season champion New Mexico Lobos take on Marquette in a first-round game in Cleveland.Yahoo Sports - 17h -
Donovan Dent scores 21 points to lead New Mexico over Marquette 75-66 in March Madness
No. 10 seed New Mexico took control late in the second half to defeat seventh-seeded Marquette.Yahoo Sports - 7h -
NCAA Tournament Cleveland 2025 scores | New Mexico vs. Marquette live updates, highlights
No. 7 Marquette plays No. 10 New Mexico in first round of March Madness. Follow for live NCAA tournament updates from Cleveland's Rocket Arena.Yahoo Sports - 12h -
Marquette struggles with consistency in loss to New Mexico in first round of NCAA tournament
The Golden Eagles were staggered by a 10-0 run by the Lobos late in the second half.Yahoo Sports - 9h -
Marquette basketball’s March Madness opponent is New Mexico to open 2025 NCAA tournament bracket
It’s Marquette basketball vs. New Mexico in March Madness to open its 2025 NCAA tournament men’s bracket. Here’s what to know about the first-round game in Cleveland.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
NCAA Tournament: No. 10 New Mexico to play No. 7 Marquette in the first round
Mar. 16—There were cheers, some woofing from fans and genuine excitement as the UNM Lobos and a few hundred of their fans gathered in the Pit on Sunday to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Marquette's Jones, New Mexico's Dent headline intriguing guard matchup in South Region
Marquette's Kam Jones and New Mexico's Donovan Dent will face each other Friday night in an intriguing NCAA Tournament first-round matchup of do-everything guards. Jones and the seventh-seeded ...Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
How many national championships does Geno Auriemma, UConn's legendary coach, have?
UConn and Geno Auriemma are a fixture in March, with a record number of national championships. But how many have they won?Yahoo Sports - 12m -
How many national championships does Geno Auriemma, UConn's legendary coach, have?
UConn and Geno Auriemma are a fixture in March, with a record number of national championships. But how many have they won?Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Lindsey Vonn reveling in being back at World Cup finals and an unexpected second act
Lindsey Vonn will become oldest woman to compete at World Cup finals, qualifying for both the downhill and super-G in Sun Valley.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Lindsey Vonn reveling in being back at World Cup finals and an unexpected second act
Lindsey Vonn will become oldest woman to compete at World Cup finals, qualifying for both the downhill and super-G in Sun Valley.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Teams with back-to-back NCAA women's basketball titles: 3 programs dominate March Madness
If the South Carolina women's basketball team repeats as national champion this season, they'd join these teams with consecutive national titles.Yahoo Sports - 13m
More in Sports
-
Early contenders and who can't be ruled out just yet
A month into the MLS season, whose play has put them into early contention for MVP? And which preseason favorites shouldn't be written off yet?ESPN - 7m -
How many national championships does Geno Auriemma, UConn's legendary coach, have?
UConn and Geno Auriemma are a fixture in March, with a record number of national championships. But how many have they won?Yahoo Sports - 12m -
How many national championships does Geno Auriemma, UConn's legendary coach, have?
UConn and Geno Auriemma are a fixture in March, with a record number of national championships. But how many have they won?Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Lindsey Vonn reveling in being back at World Cup finals and an unexpected second act
Lindsey Vonn will become oldest woman to compete at World Cup finals, qualifying for both the downhill and super-G in Sun Valley.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Lindsey Vonn reveling in being back at World Cup finals and an unexpected second act
Lindsey Vonn will become oldest woman to compete at World Cup finals, qualifying for both the downhill and super-G in Sun Valley.Yahoo Sports - 12m