Kam Jones scores 32 points in No. 18 Marquette's season-opening 102-62 rout of Stony Brook
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kam Jones scored 32 points while shooting 14 of 16 from the floor as No. 18 Marquette breezed to a 102-62 season-opening victory over Stony Brook on Monday night.
Jones was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and finished two points off his career high. Jones had 34 points in back-to-back games against DePaul and Xavier last season.
Chase Ross added a career-best 23 points and David Joplin scored 13.
Marquette is chasing its fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth as it attempts to replace 2024 Associated Press All-America second-team guard Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro, who were both selected in the second round of the NBA draft.
Joe Octave scored 12 points and Ben Wight had 10 points and eight rebounds for Stony Brook.
Takeaways
Stony Brook: This Coastal Athletic Association program returns only one starter from a team that went 20-15 last season. Octave, a Holy Cross transfer, should be a major player for the Seawolves. He made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles don't really have a pure point guard on their roster while Sean Jones recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but they distributed the ball quite well. Marquette had 22 assists with just seven turnovers.
Key moment
This game went back and forth until Jones hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Ben Gold with 10:35 left in the first half to put Marquette ahead 21-19. Jones' shot marked the 10th and final lead change of the night. That basket began a 9-0 run, and Marquette led comfortably the rest of the way.
Key stats
Marquette shot 58.8% (40 of 68) from the floor. The Golden Eagles went just 9 of 31 from 3-point range, but they made 83.8% of their shots (31 of 37) from inside the arc.
Up next
Stony Brook plays at Central Michigan on Thursday, while Marquette hosts George Mason on Friday. The George Mason game will take place at the Al McGuire Center on Marquette's campus rather than at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, which serves as the Golden Eagles' typical home court.
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