FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) -- After an ugly start on offense this season, Marquette is
making strides.
Jamil Wilson scored a career-high 24 points and the
25th-ranked Golden Eagles routed tournament host Cal State Fullerton 86-66 on
Thursday in the first round of the Wooden Legacy.
Davante Gardner and Jajuan Johnson each had 18 points off
the bench for Marquette. The Golden Eagles (4-2) shot 55.7 percent from the
field and 43.8 percent from 3-point range (7 of 16), both season highs.
Entering the game, they were hitting just 38.7 percent from the field and 22.3
percent beyond the arc.
"I think the ball is moving, it isn't getting stopped,
and we're getting it reversed quickly," Marquette coach Buzz Williams
said. "I think that our ball and body movement in the last six days has
been as good as it's been all year long ... and I think that's somewhat helped
our field goal percentage."
Wilson and Gardner grabbed nine rebounds apiece for
Marquette, which will play George Washington in the tournament semifinals
Friday. The Titans (2-4) face Miami in the consolation bracket.
Shooting wasn't the only category Marquette excelled in. The
Golden Eagles outrebounded the Titans 40-20, outscored them in the paint 42-24
and also had more assists (19-11), blocks (3-2) and steals (6-5).
"We were moving the ball well and everyone collectively
was making their shots," Wilson said. "We really had no weakness on
the floor. Guys made shots, guys attacked the basket, and we hit the offensive
glass like we usually do."
The Golden Eagles led by as many as 26 points, allowing
backups to play the majority of the second half.
Michael Williams scored 16 points and Marquis Horne added 13
for Cal State Fullerton.
"We've got to regroup (and) we have to have our mental
focus," Horne said. "We obviously have to rebound the ball better
than we did today."
Wilson needed just 20 minutes to set a career high, scoring 20
points in the first half alone to help the Golden Eagles jump out to a 48-35
halftime lead. His previous career high was 19 points, which he had done twice.
Wilson finished 10 of 14 from the field, including 3 for 3
from beyond the arc.
"I think I was just taking the shots they gave me. I
wasn't really rushing anything," Wilson said. "My team was looking
for me for the most part."
Wilson wasn't the only Marquette player with a high shooting
percentage. Gardner went 8 of 11 from the field and Johnson was 6 of 8,
including 3 of 3 from 3-point range. Starting center Chris Otule shot 3 of 5
for seven points in limited action.
"I think that you could say that maybe their confidence
is growing, but our confidence is growing because we're playing the right way,"
Buzz Williams said. "Not because all of a sudden they became
shooters."
Cal State Fullerton tied it at 11 on Horne's jumper just
more than 5 minutes into the game.
That was the last time the Titans were in it, though, as the
Golden Eagles reeled off a 20-8 run to take a double-digit lead and get the
rout started. Wilson scored eight points during that spurt and Gardner had six.
"At the end of the day we just wore down," Cal
State Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said. "Their guys are really big
inside and we just didn't have an answer. ... You have to acknowledge (their
height) but you focus on what you can control and try to keep the ball out of
their hands. We didn't do as well of a job as we would have liked to."
