12th ranked Marquette has now dropped back to back Big East men's games, falling to DePaul 72-67 in Rosemont, Illinois.
Marquette failed to come up with key defensive stops in the closing minutes. But the Golden Eagles did have a chance to tie the game at 70-70 with just under 20 seconds remaining but Dominic James missed a long three-pointer.
DePaul then hit 2 of 4 free throws the rest of the way to hold on for the win.
Sammy Mejia scored 18 points, while Marcus Heard and Wilson Chandler 12 had points apiece to lead DePaul (15-11, 6-6 Big East).
Dominic James had 17 points to lead the 12th ranked Golden Eagles (21-6, 8-4). Jerel McNeal and Dan Fitzgerald added 16 points each.
Marquette has dropped back to back games for just the second time this season. They return home to host Louisville on Saturday at the Bradley Center.
Listen/Download – Tom Crean on lack of transition defense. :13