With the college season set to officially tip off with two games at Duke on Monday night, here’s a roundup of Big East exhibition games from the weekend.
** Lazar Hayward scored 23 points and Jerel McNeal added 22, making new coach Buzz Williams a winner in No. 16 Marquette’s 94-73 victory over Division II Colorado State-Pueblo. Wesley Matthews had 16 points before leaving the game late in the second half after he appeared to turn an ankle and had to be helped off the court. The severity of his injury was not immediately known.
** Freshman center Samardo Samuels of St. BEnedict’s Prep scored 29 points and junior guard Edgar Sosa of Rice added 18 points and three assists to lead Louisville to an 84-69 exhibition victory over Northern Kentucky on Saturday night.
The Cardinals, ranked third in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, shot 59.6 percent from the field, including burying 7-of-12 three-point goals. Earl Clark of Rahway, N.J., grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Cardinals while scoring eight points and handing out four assists. Louisville has won 19 straight exhibition games over the last eight years.
** Da’Sean Butler of Bloomfield Tech poured in 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Alex Ruoff added 18 points to lead West Virginia to an 98-78 exhibition victory over Mountain State. Kevin Jones of Mount Vernon (N.Y.) added 14 points, while freshman Devin Ebanks of Long Island City, N.Y. struggled, going 1-of-7 for 3 points. West Virginia shot 42.7 percent overall including 42.3 percent from 3-point distance (11 of 26).
**Junior guard Eric Devendorf tallied 15 points and sophomore guard Jonny Flynn and freshman forward Kris Joseph posted 14 apiece to lift Syracuse to a 73-63 victory against Indiana University (Pa.). Junior forward Paul Harris added 12 points.
**Jerome Dyson (pictured above) scored 18 points and Jeff Adrien added 13 points and 8 rebounds as UConn knocked off UMass-Lowell, 82-63. A.J. Price had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Kemba Walker of Rice added 11 points. Hasheem Thabeet added 11 points.
**In the ACC, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green each had 16 points and freshman Tyler Zeller added 13 in North Carolina’s 102-62 win over UNC. Pembroke. The Tar Heels played without injured players Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard.
**Mike Rosario and Rutgers hosts Division 2 Caldwell College on Monday night at the RAC.
