Jan. 15, 2000

MILWAUKEE - Marquette held Saint Louis to a season-low 24.5 percent from the field as the Golden Eagles hammered the Billikens 56-38 tonight in a Conference USA men's basketball game before 9,511 at the Bradley Center. Junior guard Brian Wardle led the Eagles with 12 points, and Jon Harris topped all rebounders with 10 as Marquette won its league opener.

"No one has guarded us this year like Marquette did tonight," Billikens head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "(First-year Marquette coach) Tom Crean has already put his stamp on this program, obviously."

The Billikens never could get any offense generated after scoring the first basket of the game on a Justin Tatum jump shot. Tatum finished with 12 points. An indication of things to come occurred when junior swingman Maurice Jeffers missed a tip-in that he easily could have dunked.

The Eagles weren't exactly crisp either, but moved out to a seven-point advantage on a pair of threes by Oluoma Nnamaka. His second trey made it 14-7 with 11:04 remaining in the half.

Billiken leading scorer Justin Love, who came off the bench for the first time this season, answered with a three to keep the Bills close. Saint Louis could only get Tatum to score as the Bills' other four starters went 0-15 from the field. Love eventually finished with 17, but eight came in the waning moments of the second half.

Marquette closed the half with an 11-2 run to lead 29-15 at the break. It was Saint Louis' lowest scoring half of the season and their worst shooting half of the year at 27.3 percent.

The Billikens went to full-court pressure to begin the second half in a vain attempt to get back into the game. When Matt Baniak dropped in a lay-up with 12:18 to play, the Billikens trailed 33-25. Eagles guard John Cliff came to Marquette's rescue with four free throws and a trey in the midst of a 12-2 run to salt the game away.

The Billikens begin a two-game homestand at Kiel Center on Sat., Jan. 8, by entertaining Memphis.