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James leads Marquette past Duke in CBE final

Nov 22, 2006 - 5:57 AM KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Sophomore Dominic James was nearly a one-man wrecking crew.

James scored 25 points en route to being named tournament MVP as 17th-ranked Marquette posted a 73-62 victory over No. 8 Duke in the championship game of the CBE Classic.

Jerel McNeal added 17 points for the Golden Eagles, who snapped the Blue Devils' 10-game winning streak against ranked non-conference opponents.

The teams played even for most of the contest until James, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, sparked an 11-0 run to put Marquette ahead for good.

With 5:41 to go, James sank two foul shots for a 60-58 edge, and after a free throw by Wesley Matthews, James drilled a 3-pointer and converted a jumper for a three-point play for a 67-58 cushion with 3:56 left.

The Golden Eagles (6-0) played comfortably in front from thereon.

Josh McRoberts scored 15 points and DeMarcus Nelson added 13 for the Blue Devils (4-1), who shot just 35 percent (20-of-57) from the floor.

Marquette held a 34-32 edge at halftime.

The Golden Eagles forced 19 turnovers en route to improving to 2-4 all-time against the Blue Devils. They also held the Blue Devils to 33 percent (9-of-27) shooting in the closing half.