Golden Eagles Open Trip With 107-91 Win

Golden Eagles Open Trip With 107-91 Win Over Moult Athletic

Matthews Leads Five Players In Double Figures

New Westminster, Canada – The Marquette University men’s basketball team opened its Labor Day weekend tour in Vancouver with a 107-91 win over the Moult Athletic All-Stars Saturday afternoon.

The contest marked the first of two outings Saturday for the Golden Eagles, who will also play University College of the Fraser Valley at 10 p.m. CT. Moult’s roster included some of the top professional players in the area, including past members of the Canadian National Team.

Junior guard Wesley Matthews paced the team with 22 points, but was one of five players to collect double figures. Classmate Dominic James posted a double-double, doing most of his damage in the second half, concluding the afternoon with 19 points and 11 assists.

Marquette fell behind 14-7 early on, but was able to gain control of the game offensively midway through the first quarter. MU led 22-19 after the opening 10 minutes and maintained its three-point advantage as the game reached intermission. Moult Athletic knocked down 52 percent of its shots in the first half, while Marquette connected on just 42 percent of its opportunities.

Matthews had 11 points at halftime and McNeal chipped in 10 points.

The Golden Eagles opened the third quarter with a quick run to open up a double-digit lead. Moult Athletic stayed in the game, however, until MU was able to pull away late in the fourth quarter. Marquette shot 19-of-23 from the charity stripe, but finished on the short end of a 41-23 margin in free throw attempts. Moult Athletic’s Aaron Christianson shot 16 free throws by himself, nearly matching Marquette as a team.

Tour Notes: The 2007-08 season will mark just the second for Canada’s use of FIBA rules in collegiate basketball … the first injury of the trip came during warm-ups when manager Julian Swartz tweaked his left knee … after a quick exam, he is listed as probable for tonight’s game … Douglas College, MU’s first opponent on Sunday, advanced to the national title game in Canada last season … Marquette had 10-15 people in the stands, including Dan Fitzgerald’s parents and grandfather, who was watching Dan in person for the first time since he arrived at MU.

Box Score