BOISE, Idaho, March 20 (UPI) -- Lazar Hayward's 26 points and eight rebounds Friday led Marquette past Utah State 58-57 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in Boise, Idaho.
Utah State rallied from a 26-18 halftime deficit with an 11-0 run putting the Aggies up 49-43. Three-pointers from Jared Quayle and Tyler Newbold capped the spurt and gave Utah State its first lead of the game.
Marquette answered with 7 straight points and went back ahead 50-49. The game stayed close the rest of the way with Hayward putting the score out of reach with two free throws in the final 20 seconds. A final Utah State shot made the final difference 1 point.
Jerel McNeal scored 14 points while Wesley Matthews added 11 points and eight rebounds for the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles (25-9).
Quayle led Utah State with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Taj Wesley and Gary Wilkinson both scored 15 with four rebounds for the No. 11 seeded Aggies (30-5), who set a school record for wins while capturing the Western Athletic Conference title but lost their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament game.
