In Marquette’s final exhibition game of the season against Beloit tonight, sophomore forward Jessica Pachko said the team wants to prove it can play the type of defense coach Terri Mitchell demands of them.
In the team’s only other exhibition match, Marquette beat Wisconsin-Stout 118-71. UW-Stout shot 38.9 percent from the 3-point line and 40 percent (4-10) in the second half. The Blue Devils shot 45.6 percent from the field for the entire game.
Last year Marquette’s opponents shot a combined 40.4 percent from the field. Senior guard Janelle Harris said the team wasn’t hustling enough to get out and cover shooters or defend the fast break against UW-Stout.
“In the Stout game we gave up a lot of wide open layups and a lot of threes that weren’t contested,” Harris said. “We need to make sure we’re out there covering the shooter and getting back in transition.”
Pachko said Mitchell was upset after the UW-Stout game with the team’s focus on the offensive side of the ball — something Pachko thinks can really click for the team this year.
“We finally have learned to play with each other instead of somebody trying to do everything by themselves,” Pachko said. “People are making the extra passes now and we’re locating each other on the court really well.”
Junior guard Tatiyana McMorris said she’s been working on her shooting because the team’s going to need her as a shooter rather than a distributor.
“We have great penetrators so I think there’s a lot of opportunity for the people on the team who can shoot,” McMorris said.
Heading into its two exhibition games, Mitchell said she would have different starters in both exhibitions and would mix up the rotation. McMorris said Mitchell hasn’t addressed the issue with them and nothing will change the game.
“I think we’ll use the same type of rotation we used last game and try to see who’s comfortable out there starting and who’s more comfortable coming off the bench,” McMorris said.
Pachko said Beloit, a Division III team, runs an offense that puts four players around the perimeter and one player on the inside. She said the other team’s forwards and herself will need to spend more time on the perimeter this game, something Pachko didn’t sound too concerned about.
“I don’t know what type of challenges that Beloit will present but all we’re trying to do is really work on the things that we need to,” Pachko said.
McMorris said the outcome of the game is in Marquette’s hands.
“It really comes down to us. I’m sure Beloit is a really good team, but as long as we play Marquette basketball we shouldn’t have a problem,” she said.
Pachko has a different take on things. She said the team needs to take a serious approach into every game, exhibition or not.
“(Mitchell) makes sure we know our exhibition games cannot be taken for granted. You’re not going to be able to walk in there and win,” Pachko said. “This is just like a real game. We do not take them as a joke.”