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James, Marquette hope for better performance

Nov 12, 2007 - 3:21 PM Utah Valley St (0-1) at No. 12 Marquette (1-0) 8:00 pm EST

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Dominic James and Marquette will hope to make a better impression when they host Utah Valley State on Monday.

In Saturday's season opener, Jerel McNeal poured in 20 points as the Golden Eagles survived a second-half charge to hold on for a 76-68 victory over IUPUI.

"I thought we did a good job of shooting the ball, we hit the right kind of shots for the most part," Marquette coach Tom Crean said. "I think our decision making at times needed to improve, but that's part of it being the first game."

James, who scored 12 points in the win, is just nine points away from becoming the 38th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. The 21-year-old could also can become the seventh to record the mark under Crean's watch.

After declaring for the NBA draft, James returned for his junior campaign following a few lackluster performances during some pre-draft workouts.

Utah Valley State is coming off a heartbreaking 73-72 overtime setback at Boise State.

Ryan Toolson scored 29 points and Jordan Brady added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolverines, who takes to the road for the second of a three-game road trip.