Marquette University Athletics
Golden Eagles Continue Tour With 90-55 Win over UCFV
9/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 2, 2007
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Fraser Valley, Canada - The Marquette University men's basketball team capped a successful first day of its Labor Day weekend tour in Vancouver with a convincing 90-55 victory over University College of the Fraser Valley Saturday night.
The Golden Eagles topped the Moult Athletic All-Stars 107-91 earlier in the day in the first of four games on the weekend. MU will continue play Sunday morning against Douglas College.
"We had a good first day and are having a great time developing both on and off the court, which you can't put a price tag on," head coach Tom Crean said. "We made great strides defensively from the morning to the night and are gaining an understanding of the mentality we need to play with and how we need to play."
Sophomore Lazar Hayward narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Junior Dominic James added 12 points off the bench, as did freshman Scott Christopherson. The LaCrosse, Wis., native knocked down each of his five shots, including two from long distance.
Marquette scored the game's first seven points and led 9-1 early in the first quarter before UCFV closed the gap as the quarter continued. MU owned an 18-16 advantage at the first intermission and outscored the Cascades 26-15 in the second quarter as the team began to pull away.
Nine different players scored for the Golden Eagles in the first half, helping the squad to a 44-31 advantage at the intermission. Marquette was able to earn the double-digit advantage by shooting 51.4 percent from the field and despite a 14-5 advantage in attempts from the free throw line by UCFV.
The halftime break didn't slow Marquette's offensive attack as the squad continued to improve its advantage. The team improved its shooting percentage and allowed the Cascades to net just 24 points over the course of the final 20 minutes of play. MU's defensive pressure forced 32 turnovers, including 21 steals.
Tour Notes: Saturday night's matchup marked the first men's contest in the brand new $6.5 million Envision Athletic Centre ... UCFV's women hosted New Mexico State earlier in the day ... Walk-on Tommy Brice netted his first career points as a Golden Eagle with a baseline jumper in the closing minutes ... following Sunday's morning contest, MU's travel party will take a ferry to its next destination, where it plays the University of Victoria.
