Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Eastern Ill
Wade Leads Men's Basketball Past Eastern Illinois, 97-74
11/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov 26, 2002
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Dwyane Wade scored 28 points on 13-of-16 shooting in No. 13 Marquette's 97-74 rout of Eastern Illinois on Tuesday night.
Robert Jackson scored 18 of his 22 points after halftime and grabbed nine rebounds as the Golden Eagles (4-0) extended their home winning streak to 19, their longest in seven seasons.
Wade set a school record by hitting his first 11 shots, all in the first half as the Golden Eagles raced to a 54-36 halftime lead over the Panthers (1-3).
His first second-half shot clanked off the rim.
Wade's highly anticipated matchup with Henry Domercant, a senior who was second in the nation in scoring a year ago with a 26.4-point average, was a mismatch in the first half, although Domercant finished with 27 points.
Wade had three smooth dunks of steals in the first seven minutes and hit everything from pull-up jumpers to off-balance bank shots.
By the time Domercant got warmed up to score 11 first-half points, the Golden Eagles were well on their way to victory. But Domercant came out hot in the second half, scoring seven quick points. And with Wade on the bench with his third foul, the Panthers began chipping away.
That's when Jackson, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound senior transfer from Mississippi State who has provided Marquette with a rare inside game, took over, scoring four baskets in a five-bucket stretch as the Golden Eagles built their lead to 26 at 86-60.
R.J. Reynolds added 23 points for the Panthers, who were outshot 62 percent to 42 percent.
Travis Diener and Steve Novak each had 11 points for Marquette, and Scott Merritt added 10 for the Golden Eagles.
Wade, a junior who was a partial qualifier as a freshman, has scored in double figures 35 times in 36 games for Marquette, which hasn't been ranked this high this early in a season since Al McGuire's 1977 team won the national championship.
