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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Western Kentucky learned from its last
opponent how to hang on in the final seconds.
"We can't beat anybody by a lot of points, but you're seeing a
Western Kentucky team that we've been preaching all year long about
don't quit," coach Steve Small said on Saturday after the Lady
Toppers' 68-65 victory over Marquette in the first round of the
NCAA tournament's East Regional.
|  | | Natalie Powers hurdles over Marquette's Kiesha Oliver after Western Kentucky's 68-65 upset. |
In Western Kentucky's last game, the Lady Toppers rallied from a
21-point deficit at halftime to tie Louisiana Tech in the Sun Belt
Conference tournament championship. Louisiana Tech won with a
3-pointer at the buzzer.
"We're down 21 to LaTech and lost on the last-second shot,"
Small said. "They just don't like to not go out a winner. We told
them from day one, you'll go out a winner if you leave it on the
floor."
ShaRae Mansfield scored 17 points, including two free throws in
the closing seconds, to help the Lady Toppers (22-9) prevent a
repeat of their conference tournament loss.
Western Kentucky, seeded 10th, advanced to the second round for
the eighth time in 14 trips to the NCAA tournament. Mansfield added
14 rebounds and Natalie Powers had 15 points, Jaime Walz 13 and
Jamie Britt 11.
Western Kentucky will play Duke, a 71-42 winner over Campbell,
on Monday.
"We're proud to go to the next round," Small said. "We've
told the girls this is a two-game tournament. If you win the
two-game tournament, you get to play in another tournament."
Seventh-seeded Marquette (22-7), which hasn't reached the second
round since 1997, was led by Lisa Oldenburg's 21 points. Heidi
Bowman added 13, Kristi Johnson 11 and Abbie Willenborg 10.
Mansfield's basket with 4:04 left gave Western Kentucky a 58-57
lead, its first since six minutes into the second half.
Marquette kept trimming the lead in the final minutes, but could
not overcome it.
"We just knew we were not going to lose this game," Mansfield
said. "We did play a little weak in the post but did what we
needed to do to get the win."
Oldenburg's layup cut it to 66-64 with 46.8 seconds left.
Marquette had a chance to tie it when Willenborg went to the free
throw line with 6.6 seconds left, but she made only one.
Mansfield then made both free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining.
Western Kentucky, down by seven in the second half, closed to
56-53 after Powers made two free throws with 5:12 to go, starting a
7-1 run that put the Toppers back in the lead at 60-57 with 3:32
remaining.
Powers' 3-pointer gave the Lady Toppers a 40-35 lead with 14:24
remaining, but Johnson made three straight 3-pointers and Heidi
Bowman added another as Marquette went ahead 49-42 -- the Golden
Eagles' biggest lead -- with 9:27 left.
Marquette took a 31-30 halftime lead after rallying from as much
as an 11-point deficit.
Western Kentucky opened the game with a 20-8 burst. But the
Golden Eagles responded with a 15-2 run over the next 5½ minutes,
led by Oldenburg's eight points. Her basket with 5:25 left in the
first half put Marquette ahead 23-22 for the first time.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Western Kentucky NCAA Team Report
Marquette NCAA Team Report
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