NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Marquette 96, Providence 91

When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: # Jeff Clark, # Tim Clougherty, # Tom Eades
Attendance: 14616

By The Sports Xchange

MILWAUKEE -- A career night from sophomore forward wasn't enough to snap No. 20 Providence from its late-season slump.

Forward Ben Bentil was a monster on offense, knocking down six 3-pointers and 11 of 17 free throw attempts to finish with 42 points, but the Friars couldn't quite put away Marquette, which finished off a season-sweep with a 96-91, double-overtime victory at the Bradley Center on Wednesday.

"He had one of those games when the rim looked like an ocean," Providence coach Ed Cooley said of Bentil. "But he can't do it himself."

Bentil scored 11 in the two extra sessions, but the Friars as a team managed 19 total points. Marquette, meanwhile, made its mark at the free-throw line, especially in the second overtime, making eight of 10 attempts.

Guard Duane Wilson hit all four of his free throws while guard JaJuan Johnson scored two of his five second-overtime points from the line, capping off a 16-point effort.

He was one of five Golden Eagles players to score in double-figures. Junior center Luke Fischer had 12 points and 10 boards before he fouled out late and guard Traci Carter also finished with 12.

Point guard Haanif Cheatham scored 21 for the Golden Eagles while freshman forward Henry Ellenson led the way with 26 and 16 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season.

"I felt like we had that game twice before we actually won it," said Ellenson, whose half-court heave as time expired in regulation just missed the basket. "Going into the end of regulation, Providence hit shots and going into the end of the first overtime, they made a play.

"It's a matter of just sticking with it. We're playing desperate basketball right now, we just want it more than ever. It just showed the will of the team today."

The Golden Eagles had a chance to put the game away late in the second overtime, as well. They used an 8-0 run to go up five with 30 seconds left, but Ellenson fouled Bentil on a 3-point attempt and Bentil hit all three.

Guard Sandy Cohen and Cheatham missed short-range shots on the other end and Cohen was whistled for a foul on Jalen Lindsey, who made a pair of free throws with eight seconds left that sent the game to a second overtime.

Providence, though, was at a disadvantage in the final OT; junior point guard Kris Dunn had scored 17 points with seven rebounds and six assists but fouled out with 43 seconds to go in the first overtime, leaving the Friars without one of the best players for the stretch run.

"I can't live on 'ifs'," Cooley said. "We don't live in a world of 'ifs'."

Marquette trailed, 36-31, at halftime but stormed back into the game with a 16-3 run in the second half and took a 60-51 lead with 8:40 to play.

Bentil cut the deficit to seven with a pair of free throws at the 8:05 mark, kicking off a 6-0 spurt that got the Friars back within three before Cheatham ended Marquette's short drought.

Bentil tied it up at 68-all on a 3-pointer with 1:50 left and Dunn put the Friars back in front on a 3-pointer with 1:21 left.

They had a chance to win it, getting the ball with 23 seconds left, but Dunn's pass to guard Jalen Lindsey sailed out of bounds, giving Marquette one last shot with 2 seconds left and Ellenson's desperation heave came just short of ending it in regulation.

"That's a devastating loss," said Cooley, whose team dropped at one-point decision to Marquette earlier this season. "The two losses to these guys, it's just devastating how we lost them; we had both of them in our hand but we found ways to lose them."

NOTES: Providence has lost four of its last five and three in a row for the first time this season. ... The Friars are 0-10 in Milwaukee since Marquette joined the Big East in 2005. ... Marquette previously downed Providence once this season, defeating the then-No. 8 Friars 65-64 on Jan. 5 when F Henry Ellenson blocked Kris Dunn's 15-footer at the buzzer. ... Dunn came into the game leading the Big East and ranking second in the nation with 3.18 steals per game. His 6.7 assists per game also lead the conference and put him sixth in the country. ... Marquette improved to 3-3 against Top 25 opponents this season.

Top Game Performances

Providence		Marquette
Ben Bentil 42	Scoring	Henry Ellenson 26
Kyron Cartwright 7	Assists	Traci Carter 5
Ben Bentil 12	Rebounds	Henry Ellenson 16
Ben Bentil 14	Free Throws Made	Haanif Cheatham 6
Kyron Cartwright 2	Steals	Henry Ellenson 2
Ben Bentil 1	Blocks	Haanif Cheatham 1

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Providence	91	38.9	11-31	24-31	26	42	1	5	18
Marquette	96	42.3	3-13	27-37	13	45	3	7	13