Men's Basketball Cruises Past Northern State In Exhibition
MILWAUKEE -
MU-NSU Box Score
Lazar Hayward had a game-high 17 points and Wesley Matthews added 16 to lead No. 11 Marquette to a 83-55 exhibition victory over Northern State on Sunday night.
Hayward was 6 for 10 from the floor to go with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in only 15 minutes. Matthews shot 5 for 7 and added two steals and two assists.
Marquette made just 68.2% of its free throws (30-44) but forced 31 turnovers. The Golden Eagles return their top-seven scorers from last season's team, which lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Northern State got 12 points, four steals and four rebounds from Kevin Ratzsch, but he had a team-high eight turnovers.
Mitch Boeck added nine points for the Wolves, who shot 9.1% from 3-point range (2-22). Northern State missed its first 13 3-pointers until Craig Nelson made one with 9:51 left in the game.
Marquette led, 38-30, after a sluggish first half. But the Golden Eagles took control in the final 20 minutes. After a basket by Northern State's Mitch Boeck cut the deficit to 38-32, Marquette went on a 25-7 run to take a 63-39 lead with 11:11 remaining.
A 3-point play by Jerel McNeal gave Marquette a 43-32 lead, and it increased to 50-34 on another 3-point play by Matthews with 16:05 left. Hayward scored seven points in a row, started with another 3-point play, before Dominic James's basket gave Marquette its 63-39 lead.
The first half was an offensive struggle for both teams. Northern State missed all eight 3-pointers, and Marquette shot just 55.2% from the free-throw line (16-29).
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