North Dakota State
5-2
Marquette
8-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 28 | 36 | 64 |
| Marquette | 24 | 36 | 60 |
North Dakota State Stops Marquette for Tournament Championship; Nelson Named MVP
12/2/2006 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MILWAUKEE (AP)--All-tournament selection Andre Smith scored a career-high 26 points to lead North Dakota State to a 64-60 victory over No. 8 Marquette in the championship of the Blue and Gold Classic on Saturday night.
Smith shot 11-for-18 from the field and had six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Tournament MVP Mike Nelson added 19 points for the Bison (5-2), who shot 52 percent in the second half.
Jerel McNeal had 16 points and seven steals for the Golden Eagles (8-1), who were upset 71-64 by Winthrop in last year's championship game, snapping their 13-0 run in Blue and Gold Classic play under coach Tom Crean.
The Bison, who moved to Division I in 2004-05, won their fourth straight game by making 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final 44 seconds.
Dan Fitzgerald made a 3-pointer to cut the North Dakota State lead to 60-57 but Marquette couldn't get any closer. Smith made two free throws to increase the lead to five with 30 seconds left.
Marquette missed consecutive 3-pointers before Brett Winkelman made two foul shots for a 64-57 lead with 9 seconds left.
The Golden Eagles forced 25 turnovers but shot just 35.8 percent. They also committed 17 turnovers.
Nelson made a 3 with 13:54 left to put North Dakota State ahead 39-30.
Wesley Matthews scored for Marquette with 10:05 left, cutting it to 43-40, but baskets by Lucas Moormann and Winkelman gave the Bison a 47-40 lead with 8:19 to play.
