Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Foreign Team (exh.)
Freshmen Find The Spotlight For Marquette
11/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2000
By LORI NICKEL
of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff
Coach Tom Crean is trying his darndest to save these Marquette University freshmen a little bit, to not thrust them into the starting lineup and put an entire season filled with tough opponents on their shoulders.
But the freshmen are doing their best to say, "Bring it on."
Marquette cruised to an 85-57 exhibition victory against B.C. Flowtex of Slovenia Thursday night at the Bradley Center, and it didn't matter whom Terry Sanders, Scott Merritt and Odartey Blankson played with, the results were pretty good.
When the Fab Three came into the game Thursday night at the Bradley Center, MU promptly went on an 11-3 run. When Blankson and Sanders took a seat, Slovenia scored six consecutive points, its biggest run of the game.
This is not to say these three can save the world after two exhibition games, but they certainly have been impressive. Merritt rejected a shot into the student section and spiked another as if he were at Bradford Beach.
Blankson played cool under pressure, such as on one play when the whole defense collapsed in his corner. He made a key pass that led to an easy basket for Brian Wardle. Blankson also swished a three at the end of the shot clock and spent some time at point guard.
Sanders might have scored even more had he not been passed over in the post, but he made up for it on the fast break with exclamation-point dunks.
The freshmen didn't run up the score as successfully in a 4-minute stint together in the second half, but junior forward Oluoma Nnamaka carried the team then. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Cordell Henry added 12 points and six assists.
Slovenia wasn't a tough tuneup for the Golden Eagles, B.C. Flowtex lost by 29 points to South Carolina and by 46 to ninth-ranked Tennessee. But by MU standards, there is still some work to do before the season opener Tuesday at the Bradley Center against South Alabama in the pre-season NIT.
MU shot 20 for 34 (58.8%) from the free-throw line and out-rebounded Slovenia, 35-30, a narrower margin than expected.
Wardle seems to have recovered from a mild left ankle sprain, as he played 21 minutes.
