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Marquette's Boys Hoops Take Upset Win Over WG

Ryan Rosburg's 25 points and 17 rebounds lead Mustangs to sensational win over non-conference rival Webster Groves at historic Roberts Gymnasium.

Every bit of grit and toughness the tenth-ranked Marquette Mustangs had led them Tuesday night to an upset win over third-ranked Webster Groves, at the WG historic Roberts Gymnasium.

By the end of the evening, Chesterfield's Marquette proved it had more than enough in its tank to handle the winning task, with a brilliant 27-point, 17-rebound effort by senior Ryan Rosburg.

The winning Mustangs began the new year with a thrilling 55-53 win over Webster Groves.

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β€œThat was like the longest fourth quarter I’ve ever seen in my life,” Marquette head coach Shane Matzen said. β€œI didn’t think it was ever going to end. I’m just glad we finished it off the right way. That game was like a warβ€”for both teams.”

In the fourth quarter, as both clubs took turns dominating the action, the dramatic final climax didn’t end until there was less than a second left on the clock.

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Marquette pulled ahead in the third quarter by outscoring Webster 13-5, opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run, and led the Statesmen by as many as 19 points midway through the final period.

β€œWe’re not 20 points better than Webster,” Matzen said. β€œSo I knew they’d come back at us. And we kind of knew if we were going to beat them, it was going to be by a score kind of like what we had.”

Maybe Matzen knew that, but nobody else in the gym was thinking that, as Marquette looked just fantastic in the second half, and seemed absolutely deserving of the blowout win it was headed for.

As it turned out, the Marquette coach was spot on, and Webster made a remarkable rally in the final four minutes to pull up within three points of a tie, on three different occasions.

Then with 30 seconds left, Webster’s Rayshawn Simmons, who finished with a Statesmen-high 22 points, stole a Marquette inbounds pass and whipped the ball to sharp-shooting teammate Peter Fairbanks, who launched a dead-eye, deep-range shot that would have tied the game at 53.

But Fairbanks, as it turned out, had a toe on the three-point line, so the shot was ruled a two-pointer, and kept Webster behind with just 21 seconds remaining.

β€œI heard a whole lot of opinions flying past my head from (our) parents, but I couldn’t tell either way whether it was a two or a three,” Matzen said. β€œI just tried to stay in the moment. It was a big shot, and that kid’s got great range.”

Marquette’s Brooks Gerrity, a sophomore playing in his first true varsity game, was fouled with 10 seconds left, and hit two free throws to put the Mustangs back up by three.

Webster still had a couple of chances to tie.

First, Simmons hit front and back rim on a three-point attempt, but missed the shot with 4.2 seconds left.

Then, after Rosburg missed two free throws that would have iced the game away, Simmons was fouled with 0.6 seconds leftβ€”likely an effort by Marquette to prevent the Statesmen from getting a shot worth three points.

Simmons made the first free throw, and intentionally missed the second, hoping a teammate could get a rebound and putback to tie the score.

But the Webster point guard’s second free throw didn’t hit any part of the rim, which is a violation that by rule, means the foul shot is an automatic miss and the opposing team (Marquette) gets possession of the ball.

The Mustangs were then able to inbound the ball and run out the clock, for what was undoubtedly Marquette's biggest win of the season so far.

β€œI think our guys like to be challenged,” Matzen said. β€œWe enjoy competing and nobody competes any harder than Webster Groves. We saw that again tonight in the last few minutes.”

The Mustangs are now 8-3 for the season, and will be back in action Friday night with the Suburban West Conference opener at Lindbergh High.

Webster, now 8-2 after both losses this past week, the Statesmen are headed to Joplin this weekend. A tournament will feature a number of top teams from around the Midwest, and will be played at Missouri Southern State University.

Marquette Mustangs Boys Basketball schedule:

1/6Β Β Β Β Β Β  Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at Lindbergh*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

1/13Β Β Β Β  Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. Lafayette*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

1/17Β Β Β Β  Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at KirkwoodΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

1/20Β Β Β Β  Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. Mehlville*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

1/21Β Β Β Β  Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. NixaΒ  @ Camdenton HS Β  Β  Β  Β 4:45 pm

1/26-1/29Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at Eldon TournamentΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  TBA

1/31Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. Eureka*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/7Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at Parkway South*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/10Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. Oakville*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/13Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  vs. Parkway CentralΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/14Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at Fox*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/17Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  at Northwest*Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  7 pm

2/20-2/24Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  MSHSAA Class 5 Districts

Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  @ Parkway South HS Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β TBA

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