Marquette 86, Eastern Illinois 83 (OT): Golden Eagles survive a scare

With junior guard Haanif Cheatham's departure from Marquette announced earlier on Monday, a period of adjustment was probably to be expected from the Golden Eagles against Eastern Illinois at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

The adjusting took over 40 minutes.

Sam Hauser scored a collegiate-best 30 points as the Golden Eagles managed to squeeze out an 86-83 overtime victory Monday over the Panthers.

Hauser hit two free throws with nine seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 68-68. Eastern Illinois' Terrell Lewis missed a 25-foot shot at the buzzer.

BOX SCORE: Marquette 86, Eastern Illinois 83 (OT)

RELATED:Junior guard Haanif Cheatham leaving Marquette

In overtime, Andrew Rowsey's three-pointer gave the Golden Eagles (4-2) a 74-71 lead with 3:03 remaining.

MU held on after Markus Howard hit two free throws with two seconds left in overtime for the final margin. The Golden Eagles fouled Lewis on Eastern Illinois' ensuing possession and the guard missed two free throws.

Hauser finished 10 of 15, including 6 of 10 on three-pointers. Hauser has three games at MU scoring 20 or more points, all coming this season.

"Obviously Haanif is a big loss, I hope the best for him," Hauser said. "I think collectively we all have to step up in different ways in his absence. Tonight, I got the hot hand and teammates found me and I was just trying to make plays for them."

There was no doubt that the Golden Eagles struggled on defense without Cheatham, who was one of MU's most experienced players.

Jajuan Starks, a 6-foot-4 wing player who Cheatham likely would have helped guard, led the Panthers (2-4) with 27 points.

Sacar Anim started at small forward for MU, a role Cheatham occupied for the first five games of the season. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes.

Anim averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 23.8 minutes over MU's first five games.

"It is a little bit like starting (the season) over," MU coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "Haanif started 63 of 70 games. It leaves us with eight scholarship guys, three guys coming off the bench who are freshmen. And three guys on the court who just finished their freshmen year (including) a sophomore who by experience is really a freshman. It leaves us younger. We have to figure all that stuff out."

MU freshmen wing players Jamal Cain and Greg Elliott, who figure to play more prominent roles with Cheatham no longer on the team, combined for 12 points.

The long-limbed Elliott was a force on defense, notching four steals and four blocks.

Elliott missed two free throws with 14 seconds left in OT and MU leading, 82-81. But the freshman responded by racing down the court and getting a block at the rim against Eastern Illinois' D'Angelo Jackson.

"I told Greg in the locker room, 'You're going to go home tonight to your dorm and think about the two free throws you missed. I'm going to the video room with the staff and talk about the defensive stop you got after having something bad happen,' " Wojciechowski said.

"That's not something freshmen do. They normally hang their head. He didn't and without that stop we don't win the game."