Amani Wilborn got the best gift for her 20th birthday.
She’ll never forget winning the Most Outstanding Player Award for helping to lead Marquette to its first Big East Tournament championship and a trip to the NCAAs.
Wilborn scored 20 points off the bench, Natisha Hiedeman had a game-high 28 and six 3-pointers, and the third-seeded Golden Eagles beat top-seeded DePaul 86-78 to win the Big East crown on Tuesday night.
A Marquette-friendly crowd roared after the final buzzer with the school hosting the tourney on campus at the cozy Al McGuire Center. Marquette is returning to the NCAAs for the first time since 2011.
Marquette opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to take a 10-point lead and held on late after a turnover and a couple missed foul shots allowed top-seeded DePaul (26-7) to get within 83-78 with 23 seconds left on Jessica January’s 3.
