Nov. 12, 2007

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - An early second half run by No. 11 Marquette erased Utah Valley's halftime lead and the Wolverines weren't able to respond as the Golden Eagles held on for a 66-55 victory. UV led 34-32 at the half.

Ryan Toolson led all scorers with 20 points while hitting five three-pointers. Richard Troyer added 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc and six rebounds. Freshman Matt Komenda had a strong day, leading the Wolverines with eight rebounds including six on the offensive glass.

"We fought and competed about as long as we could," UV head coach Dick Hunsaker said. "Their athleticism and defensive quickness wore us down. We needed to execute a little better."

The game was evenly played early with UV's hot shooting leading it to a 25-20 lead. The Golden Eagles came back with a 7-2 run capped by a Dominic James dunk to tie the game at 27-all. Behind a pair of three-pointers from Troyer and Toolson UV finished the half outscoring MU 7-5 to take a 34-32 lead to the break.

Utah Valley built as large as a six-point advantage in the first half, as they didn't trail after the 13:18 point of the period. Holding to a four-point advantage and looking to take the final shot of the half, Utah Valley saw David Cubillan pick up a steal and take it in for an easy lay up right before the buzzer to grab the momentum going into the half.

The Wolverines shot 46 percent from the field and 53 percent from behind the three point arc while Marquette shot 38 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles had nine first-half foul shots compared to UV's two.

MU came out with a quick start in the second half, outscoring the Wolverines 8-3 over the first 4:31 to grab a 40-37 lead. After the two teams traded baskets, Marquette hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to 50-44 with 7:45 remaining in the game. The Golden Eagles further extended their lead by two, taking a 59-51 lead with 3:50 left.

"The bright spot is that we played on a grand stage," Hunsaker said. "We played with a lot of heart and competitive spirit."

The Wolverines return to action when they head to Jonesboro, Ark. to take on Arkansas State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT) (6 p.m. MT) The game can be heard live on AM 1400 KSTAR with Steve Watts calling the game.

Utah Valley's home opener will be Nov. 20 when the Wolverines welcome Troy to the McKay Center at 7:05 p.m.