LAHAINA » Vander Blue scored 18 points and Davante Gardner had a double-double as Marquette won big over Mississippi State 89-62 today in its second game at the Maui Invitational.

Marquette (3-1) never trailed, and the Bulldogs never trailed by less than 10 points after the opening minutes.

Gardner finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Mississippi State didn’t score in the first four minutes as the Golden Eagles built an 8-0 lead. Gavin Ware hit a jumper and Craig Sword had a steal and dunk to make it 8-4, but Marquette responded by scoring 10 straight points in less than two minutes. Marquette led 48-27 at the break.

Fred Thomas opened the second half with a quick 3-pointer, but Marquette extended its lead to 24 points over the next 10 minutes. The Bulldogs never came within 17 points after that.

Mississippi State (1-3) had 22 turnovers — including 15 in the first half that led to 29 points for Marquette.

Marquette shot 52.1 percent (37 of 71). Trent Lockett had 13 points, Jamil Wilson had 11.

Thomas had 17 points for the Bulldogs. Roquez Johnson scored 16 points but limped off the court with help with just over nine minutes left.

Marquette will take on the winner of today’s matchup between Texas and USC for fifth place in the eight-team tournament. The tournament format — each team playing three games over a three-day span — put Monday’s four losers into a consolation bracket.

Marquette lost Monday to Butler on Rotnei Clarke’s buzzer beating 3-pointer to open the tournament. Later the same day, Mississippi State was torched by No. 9 North Carolina, which hit 15 3-pointers.