[Cracked Sidewalks] Marquette defeats Chaminade to advance to second round of Ma

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Marquette defeats Chaminade to advance to second round of Maui ClassicIt wasn't pretty to be sure, but the Marquette Golden Eagles defeated host Chaminade in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Classic by a score of 74-63 on ESPN2.

The win marked the 5th consecutive pre-season tournament opening round victory in the last 6 years. In each of those previous years, MU had mediocre results against their first round opponent but managed to capture the tournament championship.

2007 MAUI Classic Round 1....MU Beats Chaminade 74-63 (11 points)

2006 CBE Classic Round 1...MU beats Idaho State 59-56 in overtime (3 points)

2005 Great Alaska Shootout Round 1....MU beats Eastern Washington 83-73 (10 points)

2004 Black Coaches Classic Round 1....MU beats Western Carolina 74-65 (9 points)

2002 Great Alaska Shootout Round 1....MU beats Tennessee 85-74 (11 points)

MU was led today by Jerel McNeal's 22 points with Lazar Hayward chipping in 15.

The game was largely in control by MU, but in several instances they let the Silver Swords hang around to cause some angst among the fans. In the first half MU jumped out to a sizeable 14 point lead only to have Chaminade close to within 9 at the break.

The Silver Swords opened the second half with a 6-0 run and trailed #10 ranked Marquette by only 3 points. Slowly MU regained it's footing and held control of the game until roughly the mid seven minute mark when Chaminade again cut the lead down to just three points. Jerel McNeal took over at that point on a missed free throw by Hayward. McNeal came out of nowhere to tip it in with his left hand and put MU up by five points. Chaminade never got closer the remainder of the game.

Concerns from this game remain the same from earlier this year and most of last year. Poor shooting and poor interior defense. MU shot only 2 for 15 behind the arc and were killed by Chaminade's big men. MU was outrebounded for the game, something Tom Crean certainly will address with his club before tomorrow's contest.

Marquette will play the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the semi-finals.

    * AP Recap
    * MU Recap
    * Box Score

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