David Joplin made two of his seven three-pointers in overtime, and No. 7 Marquette outlasted DePaul for a rugged 85-83 victory on Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena.
Joplin finished with 30 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Kam Jones had 18 points and 11 assists for Marquette (15-2, 6-0 Big East), which earned its sixth consecutive win.
Joplin’s two threes at the beginning of overtime lifted the Golden Eagles to a 73-67 lead. Two second-chance baskets by Stevie Mitchell made it 77-69 with 1:22 to go.
Chase Ross had 15 points for Marquette, and Ben Gold finished with 14.
CJ Gunn led DePaul with 21 points. Isaiah Rivera added 20, and Conor Enright finished with 11 points and 11 assists.
DePaul (9-9, 0-7) outrebounded Marquette 46-31 and enjoyed a 27-0 advantage in bench points. The Blue Demons fell just short in a bid for the program’s first Big East win since a 66-65 victory over Seton Hall in the conference tournament on March 8, 2023.
Jacob Meyer scored 12 points for DePaul, but he also had a costly turnover in the final seconds of OT.
Marquette trailed 65-61 with 54 seconds left in regulation. But then Jones made a three-pointer, Enright turned the ball over and Ross made another three in the final seconds, putting the Golden Eagles in front.
DePaul rushed the ball up the court and Enright was credited with a tying layup when Gold was called for goaltending on his drive to the basket.