Milwaukee, WI -- Scott Merritt scored 17 points and Travis Diener added 14, as No. 23 Marquette rolled to a 79-41 victory over Savannah State in the Blue & Gold Classic at the Bradley Center.

Joe Chapman chipped in 13 points for the Golden Eagles (2-0), who are vying for their fifth-straight and 28th overall B&G Classic championship. They are 31-1 at the Bradley Center over the past two seasons.

After a surprising Final Four run last March, Marquette has opened its season with consecutive victories, dispatching St. John's in last week's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic before steamrolling Savannah State in this one.

The Tigers (0-1) were led by Jamal Daniels' 11 points. No other Savannah State player finished in double digits.

The Golden Eagles, who led by 22 at halftime, opened the game on a roll. Their lead reached double digits in the first six minutes, as Merritt drained a pair of free throws around the 14:30 mark to make it 14-3.

The Tigers missed nine of their first 10 shots, and didn't reach 10 points until Kirk Bunn's layup pulled them within 32-11 with two minutes left in the half. Marquette's lead remained at 22 heading into the locker room, as it opened up a 37-15 halftime advantage and never looked back.

The Golden Eagles, who will play Valparaiso in second-round action Saturday night, led by as many as 42 points in the second half.

Game Notes:

Marquette made just 19-of-50 shots from the field, but drained 35-of-50 from the free throw line...Savannah State connected on just 2-of-18 three-point shots and committed 26 turnovers...Three Tigers fouled out...The Tigers, who have managed just three wins in each of the past three seasons, are led by coach Ed Daniels, a member of the 1974 Marquette team that lost to NC State in the NCAA championship game...This was the first ever meeting between the teams.