Marquette staves off SE Louisiana upset bid

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Davante Gardner scored 18 points and Chris Otule added 10 points to help Marquette hold off Southeastern Louisiana 64-53 on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles (2-0) are still trying to make up for lost time after their season opener against Ohio State on the deck of the USS Yorktown of the coast of Columbia, S.C., was cancelled because of condensation on the court. The Lions (0-2) refused to go away, trailing 52-50 when Jeffery Ricard scored on a layup with 6:01 remaining. After the teams traded free throws, Gardner went to work for Marquette, scoring two inside hoops to make the score 57-51 with 3:16 left. Trent Lockett hit two free throws with 2:17 to play for Marquette, and the Golden Eagles clamped down on the defensive end to finally put the game away. Ricard led Southeastern Louisiana with 11 points, and Brandon Fortenberry added nine.