HONOLULU - Marquette broke down a strong UCLA defense to win a close quarterfinal game that closed out the first day of the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational.
 
The Bruins got off to a strong start thanks to their quickness on defense while shooting 46% (12-26) from the floor. UCLA led for all but a few seconds in the first half.
 
The second period began with UCLA going on an 8-0 run early, which put Marquette in a four-minute scoring drought. The Golden Eagles quickly answered with a 9-0 run that closed the dozen-point gap. Marquette senior Oso Ighodaro took the lead from the Bruins with a stellar dunk and the Golden Eagles' momentum soared from there, extending their run to 17-0. A layup from UCLA sophomore Adem Bona put the Bruins back in the lead with 53 seconds to go, but Kam Jones' three-pointer sealed the deal for Marquette in the end with a final score of 71-69 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
 
Marquette will face Kansas on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. HT / 10:30 p.m. ET in the second semifinal game of the Allstate Maui Invitational. UCLA will play Chaminade on Tuesday at noon HT / 5 p.m. ET for its second game.

Box Score | Marquette Quotes | UCLA Quotes