Marquette and Milwaukee battled through the first eight minutes on Friday night, but after that it was not much of a battle. The Golden Eagles led 50-33 at the half, and gave no ground in the final 20 minutes. The final was 100-65.

It was a positive night for Tom Crean, who has emphasized finishing off opponents this season. One of his players, guard Jerel McNeal, did a good job of extending his team's cushion in the second half. "When they're down you've got to kick 'em," said McNeal, who scored 16 points and added 10 assists.

That effort, along with a statement game from Dominic James and a 19-point performance from sophomore Lazar Hayward, gave Milwaukee more than it could handle.

Another key to Marquette's success: outstanding outside shooting in the first half; the Golden Eagles made 47.1 percent of their three-point attempts in the half (eight-of-17) to help gain an edge.

"I'm proud of the way my team competed," said Crean. "The highlight of the night, for me, was the fact that we had 26 assists and seven turnovers. That's a great sign of a team that is maturing."

Rob Jeter's Milwaukee squad switched up to a zone defense at times, but even a different look could not slow down the Golden Eagles attack.

"Let's be honest," said Jeter, "if you take a look at Marquette you have to pick your poison. What you can't do is give them a steady diet of anything."

One of the bright spots for Jeter's team was the play of Deion James, who, along with Ricky Franklin, combined to produce 24 backcourt points. James had done very little for Milwaukee in the season's first six games, but gave his team a boost with two first-half three-point baskets. "I got a couple of good looks and managed to knock them down," he said.

The win gives Marquette a 35-0 advantage in this series, which began its new five-year commitment on Friday after the schools had taken an extended break.

Noteworthy: Milwaukee's leading scorers, Paige Paulson and Torre Johnson, combined for just 11 points. Marquette did an excellent job of keeping those two away from the basket, and forcing Johnson into foul trouble. That was obviously bad news for the Panthers.

Turning point: If there was one, it was a breakaway steal by McNeal in the first half that drew an intentional foul. After that Milwaukee went from competing to playing catch-up the rest of the night.

Exclamation point: With the game winding down, McNeal made a pretty, long oop to James, who slammed it home to extend Marquette's 30-point lead.

Player of the game: Dominic James, G, Marquette
Having struggled recently from the floor, the Golden Eagles quick court leader got thing started with a fine display in the opening 10 minutes of the game. At the half he had 16 points, and his final tally of 22 led all scorers.

Next up: Milwaukee will visit Horizon foe UIC on Dec. 6, while Marquette will prepare for another high-profile in-state matchup against Wisconsin next Saturday, Dec. 8.