One good half does not make a good game.
The Marquette women’s basketball team has an opportunity to show it has learned a lesson this weekend after losing to Louisville, 77-61, Tuesday night despite being down only one at the half.
“Louisville came out blazing in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent, and I don’t know how many games you are going to win when your opponent shoots like that,” coach Terri Mitchell said. “They got hot and it just continued.”
The loss was the Golden Eagles’ (14-11, 5-7 Big East) second straight defeat and their fourth straight road loss, dropping them from seventh all the way down to 11th in the Big East.
“Right now we are just trying to get ready for DePaul,” Mitchell said. “We have three days to prepare for a team that plays very well and has a lot of confidence.”
DePaul comes to town Saturday as Marquette looks to right the ship. In its last meeting on the road at DePaul, Marquette struggled to score in the second half, falling 73-63 despite being down only two at the half.
“We have to understand the things that we did the last time we played them,” Mitchell said. “It was a great first half at their place, but in the second half they played zone and we couldn’t convert the chances that we had.”
Disappointing second halves have been a recurring theme this season. In its last four losses, Marquette has not trailed by more than two at the half but has lost by an average margin of 11 points.
The Golden Eagles must put together two good halves in order to come out victorious. Averaging only 23.75 points per second half in their last four defeats will not get it done in the Big East.
DePaul (16-10, 5-7 Big East) also comes in with a two-game losing streak, having lost to two of the top four teams in the country in Connecticut and Notre Dame back to back. The Blue Demons got roughed up in both outings, giving up at least 90 points to both and losing by an average of 33.5 points.
Leading the way for the Blue Demons is junior Sam Quigley. The 5-foot-6 guard is averaging 14.2 points and five assists in a team-leading 38.2 minutes of action per game.
Four DePaul players reached double figures in scoring in its last match-up with Marquette. Quigley led the way with 20 points while junior Felicia Chester recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists.
Saturday’s game will have greater significance off the court as well. Marquette will be hosting its fifth annual Pink Out, which is part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “Pink Zone” initiative to raise breast cancer awareness.
Marquette will be wearing all pink uniforms, warm-up shirts and accessories, along with the band and the cheerleaders. Money will also be donated to the Milwaukee Breast and Cervical Cancer Awareness Program for every 3-pointer Marquette makes.
“We have had a lot of support from the community over the past couple of years and I’m sure this year will be no different,” junior forward Jocelyn Mellen said. “It’s probably one of my favorite games to play in regardless of the opponent because we are building awareness and support of fighting this awful disease that is bigger than the game itself.”
