Milwaukee, WI (Best E Casino) - Wesley Matthews scored 18 points to help the 25th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles defeat Central Michigan, 81-67 at the Bradley Center. Dominic James had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Golden Eagles (6-1), who opened the season with five consecutive double-digit wins before suffering a setback to Dayton on Saturday. Lazar Hayward and Jerel McNeal both chipped in 14 points, with Hayward grabbing eight boards. Jacolby Hardiman poured in a game-high 20 points and had seven rebounds for the Chippewas (2-4), who also got 19 points from Jeremy Allen. Marquette carried a 36-27 lead to the break and went on a 13-4 run to open the second half, capped by a pair of Matthews free throws four minutes into the frame. A layup by Allen narrowed the deficit to 56-47 with about nine minutes to play, but the Golden Eagles countered with a 13-2 spurt to extend their advantage to 20 and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Game Notes This game marked the first-ever meeting between these two programs on the hardwood...Chris Kellermann and Robbie Harman donated 12 and 10 points, respectively, for Central Michigan, which shot 4-of-25 from three-point range...Marquette shot 45.1 percent from the field. |
