Second-Half Blitz Carries Marquette

Damon Key scored 17 points during a 33-15 second-half run Sundayas Marquette pulled away from Ohio State for a convincing 86-66victory in Milwaukee.

Key finished with a season-high 29 points and grabbed 14rebounds for the Warriors, who trailed by only one point at the halfdespite shooting only 36 percent in the first 20 minutes.

But Marquette (5-2) found the range quickly after the break, andKey had seven points in a 12-2 burst to start the second half.

The Warriors added to the lead by consistently finding the openman on the fast break and controlling the boards. Key connected fromall angles to help Marquette build the lead to 60-43 with sevenminutes to play.

The Buckeyes, who were led by 17 points from Derek Anderson and14 from Nate Wilbourne, cut the deficit to 10 but could get no closeras the Warriors put the game out of reach by sinking 12 of 16 freethrows in the final 3:11.

Roney Eford added 19 points and Jim McIlvaine 13 points and sixblocked shots for Marquette, which shot 53 percent in the second halfand finished the game at 45 percent. Ohio State (3-1) shot only 36percent in the second half and finished at 38 percent.

The Buckeyes played without backup centers Antonio Watson andGerald Eaker and guard Otis Winston. Coach Randy Ayers suspended thethree for one game for breaking unspecified team rules.

Michigan State 74, Detroit Mercy 63: Shawn Respert scored 29points, including three three-pointers in the second half thatthwarted a late comeback attempt, to power the Spartans past theTitans in East Lansing, Mich.

Respert also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds as MichiganState (5-2) defeated Detroit Mercy (2-5) for the 10th consecutivetime. The Titans' last victory over the Spartans came in 1976.

Michigan State led 34-23 at the half, but the Spartans couldn'tfinish off stubborn Detroit Mercy. Early in the second half, a pairof Michael Jackson three-pointers helped pull the Titans within37-31, but Respert responded with a three-pointer of his own to movethe lead back to nine.

This established a pattern. Moments later, two Tony Tolbertbaskets got Detroit Mercy within 44-37, but a Respert three-pointerboosted Michigan State's lead back to 10 points.

Finally, after another Jackson three-pointer got the Titanswithin seven, Respert hit his third three-pointer of the half toquell Detroit Mercy's last serious threat.

"I just had a good shooting night, and I hope I have a lot morejust like it," Respert said.

California 83, Tulane 70: Lamond Murray's 25 points led fiveplayers in double figures and paced the 25th-ranked Golden Bears pastthe Green Wave in the championship game of the Otis SpunkmeyerClassic in Oakland, Calif.

Tulane (4-2) trailed 43-35 at halftime and never threatened inthe second half. California (4-2) opened its biggest lead of thegame at 77-55 on a basket by Michael Stewart with 5:10 left.

The game featured a matchup between Golden Bears coach ToddBozeman, the youngest coach in Division I, and Green Wave coach PerryClark, his mentor.

St. John's 70, Hofstra 42: The Redmen (4-2) won the Joe LapchickMemorial Tourament for the 19th consecutive year by walloping theFlying Dutchmen (1-5) behind 14 points from Shawnelle Scott and 12from Charles Minlend in New York.

Northern Iowa 71, Drake 54: Randy Blocker scored 23 points andgrabbed 10 rebounds as the Panthers (2-2) trounced the Bulldogs (2-3)in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams in CedarFalls, Iowa.

Women: Nikki McCray scored 18 points and had four steals tospark top-ranked Tennessee (5-0) to a 64-48 victory over 23rd-rankedMaryland (4-2) in Nashville, Tenn.