While no one is sure what the Marquette women's basketball team talks about as they huddle together before every free throw, one thing is certain — they need to keep on talking. The squad got off to a 2-0 start with back-to-back wins against Evansville and Oakland over the weekend.
"We try to get our focus and get our heads on track," said junior forward Christina Quaye about the group meeting on the court. "We just try and be there for each other."
And with an active roster of only 10 girls, being able to rely on one another will be the key to a successful year. It is only the first week of the Golden Eagles season, so some things are still falling into place. The freshmen are making the transition to college ball and one guard position is still wide open.
"Terri (Mitchell) is trying to figure out the best line-up," said senior guard Carolyn Kieger. "It's nice because we have so many options."
On Friday, senior Tierra Shirley started as a guard and Sunday senior Amber Johnson filled that spot.
To start the weekend and the regular season, the Golden Eagles defeated Evansville 54-46. Late in the game, Kieger gave her pass-first mentality a rest and scored 15 points in the final 10 minutes to lead the team in scoring.
Junior Jasmine McCullough and Quaye had double-digits in scoring, with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Quaye had a game-high 12 rebounds, four blocks and four steals in 30 minutes of play.
Including the two exhibition games, Quaye has been the leading scorer in three of Marquette's four games, but head coach Terri Mitchell said she doesn't care who is scoring, as long as it's Marquette.
The Golden Eagles were back in Milwaukee on Sunday for their home opener, where they defeated Oakland 72-58. Neither of the teams had much of an advantage in the first half, but Marquette came out strong in the last 20 minutes of play, and at one point, was up by as many as 25 points.
"It's only the first two games of the season, and we are still trying to find ourselves," Kieger said. "It took some time, but eventually we'll be able to put two halves together."
Quaye led four players in double-figures with 17 points. McCullough scored 14 points and had five rebounds, junior Danielle Kamm had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Kieger added 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
The three freshmen all saw their most significant action of the season. Marissa Thrower grabbed four rebounds and added one block and a steal to her 10 minutes of action. Erin Monfre had three points and one assist in 18 minutes.
"It's hard coming in as freshmen," Kieger said. "They have to get the concepts down, and learn how the team plays and what Coach expects. They're going to do great things for us."
Freshman Krystal Ellis had five points, two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
"Krystal does things to make a difference," Mitchell said. "She's growing up every minute she's out there."
Marquette will head to Montana this weekend for the Wingate Classic.
Marquette will play four more non-conference games before their first Big East matchup against St. John's. With that game getting closer and closer, the Golden Eagles have just one thing in mind.
"Our goal is to get better every game," Mitchell said. "And from Friday night to today, we got better."