It's the typical pee-wee (enter-sport-here) coach's favorite mantra — "There's no 'I' in team."
But while the women's basketball team's roster doesn't include any of those me-first players, it also hadn't provided the team play that produces consistent success.
That is, until the Golden Eagles' current three-game win streak.
In wins over West Virginia and Cincinnati, as well as Saturday's 69-56 victory over St. John's, Marquette's offense has run as well as it has all season. Against the Red Storm, four players scored in double figures, led by Krystal Ellis' 16 points. Jessica Pachko added 11, while Angel Robinson and Tatiyiana McMorris chipped in 10 apiece.
"We're distributing the ball well and looking for each other to score," coach Terri Mitchell said after the win. "I just think we're not relying on this individual or that individual to do it all for us. We're looking at the whole team picture, and we know that's the only way we can win down the stretch."
Erin Monfre, who poured in nine points on three 3-pointers, has been the biggest reason for the improvement to the Golden Eagles' offensive arsenal. During the winning streak, she has knocked down a total of 12 trifectas, highlighted by the seven she hit against West Virginia last Sunday.
"It's just stepping up, showing that new confidence and just knocking them down when I'm open," Monfre said.
In addition to a higher percentage (Marquette went 7-of-14 from downtown Saturday), Monfre's shooting touch has simply made the offense much more fluid. The 69 points the Golden Eagles scored, despite committing 21 turnovers against a pressing St. John's team, is evidence of that.
"We're starting to play together, figure each other out and find each other," Pachko said. "We're setting screens for each other and having fun together. It's like were coming around finally."
The turn-around has come during what Mitchell and the Golden Eagles have coined their "second season." And with three wins to start this new season, Marquette has three more to finish it undefeated. An upcoming road trip against Providence and DePaul starts Wednesday, as the Golden Eagles will take on the last-place Friars.
Providence (3-10, 9-17) is led by senior guard Chelsea Marandola (11.2 ppg) and sophomore guard Mi-Khida Hankins (10 ppg). While most of the Big East has feasted on the Friars this season, they do have one marquee victory in a 77-69 victory over now-No. 15 Pittsburgh. Thus, Marquette isn't taking them lightly.
"Even though Providence is the last team in the conference, to us it doesn't matter," Monfre said. "To play on the road it always takes extra. If we take that one it gives us momentum to take on a rival in DePaul."
Marquette, who two weeks ago was probably eliminated from NCAA contention, now has at least a marginal chance at an at-large selection if they don't win the Big East Tournament.
If the Golden Eagles can continue their streak against Providence and DePaul, then the "chance" might just become likelihood.
"It's what every coach is saying to their team right now — the better we play down the stretch, the more momentum we'll have going into the Big East (tournament) and the more that helps our resume for someone to look at us," Mitchell said.
The second half of the "second season" will determine that.