ESPN Men's Basketball

MILWAUKEE -- Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue scored 16 points each to help Marquette hold off North Carolina Central 75-66 Saturday in its final tuneup before Big East Conference play.

Todd Mayo added 12 points for Marquette (9-3), which opens Big East play Tuesday at home against Connecticut.

Jeremy Ingram scored 20 points and Stanton Kidd had 19 for North Carolina Central (6-7).

NC Central went on a 10-2 run to cut Marquette's lead to 54-53 when Ingram hit a 3-pointer with 11:03 remaining. Ingram's driving layup with 6:27 left tied the score at 60-60.

Marquette scored the next seven points, including four by Cadougan, to grab a 67-60 lead with 3:08 remaining.

Ray Willis' 3-pointer trimmed the lead to 67-63, but Cadougan hit two free throws with 2:26 left and Blue hit a 3-pointer from the corner to push the lead to 72-63 with 1:30 remaining and put the game away.