On Nov. 28, the Marquette women's basketball team was riding a huge wave of confidence. After a victory over then-undefeated Gonzaga in their first tilt of the WBCA Classic, the Golden Eagles were at 5-0 for only the second time in team history.

The Golden Eagles' goal of making the NCAA Tournament and making a run appeared to be all but certain. The guard duo of Krystal Ellis and Angel Robinson were living up to preseason accolades as one of the best backcourts in the country, while the interior play of Jocelyn Mellen, Paige Fiedorowicz and Jessica Pachko and a strong bench provided solid balance and depth.

How quickly the tide turned. Mellen tore her ACL for the season. Two devastating losses to Virginia and Utah came on back-to-back nights. And solid reserve Breann Hill left the team for personal reasons.

After the hot start, Marquette finished just 4-4 in December, including three losses to rival Wisconsin schools Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee. A 10-point defeat at Seton Hall last Saturday made it over a month since the Golden Eagles last won two consecutive games.

"At the end of the day, they knocked the shots down and we didn't," coach Terri Mitchell said after the Seton Hall loss. "If you are going to win on the road, you better be able to knock down shots when given the opportunity."

The missed shots that Mitchell alluded to are exactly what have been plaguing Marquette.

For the season, the Golden Eagles are shooting 41 percent from the field, but have only scored 70 points or more once since reaching the mark in their first seven games. Ellis has not come close to being the player the preseason media outlets tabbed her, as her 2007-'08 total of 19.4 ppg is down to 13.4 ppg and she is shooting under 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from downtown.

Assistant coach Michelle Nason said Ellis has been suffering from knee soreness for most of the season.

"It's been bothering her," Nason said. "She's been trying to play on it, and gutting it out, but it's affected her lift on her shooting, and her lateral movement and defense."

Robinson leads the team in scoring with 13.9 ppg, but has also struggled mightily with her shot, making a combined 18-52 shots since she exploded for 33 points against Oakland on Dec. 28. With Ellis out, however, the responsibility to score naturally fell to Robinson, who produced large point totals despite the drop in field goal percentage.

"It just happened like that," Robinson said. "It's not that I look to go into a game scoring 20 points every game, but I had to back up my teammates, and if that's what I have to give, then I'll give it."

Marquette will have to find the cure for the shooting epidemic fast, because they face Notre Dame (14-1, 3-0 Big East) tonight, currently sitting at No. 10 in this week's AP rankings. The Fighting Irish have won seven straight games, including a stretch of four straight on the road before Saturday's home win vs. Georgetown.

In last year's meeting, Notre Dame pounded the Golden Eagles 99-76 while holding Ellis to only 13 points.

For the Golden Eagles to exact their revenge, they will have fight against a Notre Dame defense allowing opponents to shoot only 35 percent from the field and causing 21 turnovers a game.

"They're a really good team; there's not any one player you can key on," Nason said. "We just have to show up and play. When you play (Notre Dame) you have to bring something extra."

Fiedorowicz said a win Tuesday night could be the start of getting back on that early season wave.

"We've had a couple losses where it hurt, it just hurt," Fiedorowicz said. "This game could be a turning point for us, just to get our feet back under us. It's only the third game in the conference so we can change a whole lot."