Going into its last game of the regular season against Cincinnati Monday night, the Marquette women’s basketball team found itself tied for 11th place with Pittsburgh and Louisville in the Big East Conference standings.
Marquette’s defeat of the Bearcats, combined with losses by Pittsburgh, Louisville and South Florida, thrust the team into a tie for 10th place with South Florida. The Golden Eagles held the tiebreaker over the Bulls, landing them the 10th seed in the Big East Tournament and a first round match-up with 15th seed Villanova.
Coach Terri Mitchell wants her team to forget what happened in the regular season and move on. The 10th seed won’t define what the team can do at the tournament in Hartford, Conn.
“We have nothing to lose,” coach Terri Mitchell said. “Everyone’s going to the conference tournament at zero and zero.”
Senior guard Lauren Thomas-Johnson said the team’s going in with the goal to win it all.
“We’re going in there hungry,” Thomas-Johnson said. “I just hope those other 15 teams are scared, because we’re going in there to win. I know we’re going in there and are going to play the UConns and people like that, but anyone can lose.”
In its only game against Villanova, Marquette was victorious, 71-54, on the road. Four players were in double digits that game, led by junior guard Angel Robinson with 16.
To beat Villanova, Marquette must feed the post, junior forward Paige Fiedorowicz said.
“We know we can beat them,” Fiedorowicz said. “They’re mostly guards, and they all want to play outside. So I think pounding the ball inside will be key.”
The Wildcats (14-15, 3-13 Big East) never were able to put it all together in Big East play despite finishing 11-2 in non-conference play. Like the Golden Eagles, Villanova only has two players who average more than 10 points per game — Maria Getty leads the team with 11.4 per game.
While she’s confident the team will win, Fiedorowicz said Marquette can’t lose track of Villanova’s outside shooters.
“They can shoot from really deep,” Fiedorowicz said. “When they penetrate, we can’t leave any open shooters because they all are very good.”
If the Golden Eagles win Friday, they play seventh seed DePaul. The team lost in both of its match-ups against DePaul this year: 73-63 on Jan. 31 on the road and 72-63 on Feb. 20 at home.
Fiedorowicz said if Marquette falls to Villanova or DePaul, its tournament performance would be considered a disappointment.
“After losing the previous two games (against DePaul), I think we know their tendencies very well,” Fiedorowicz said. “I think we let those games slip away, but I definitely think losing to DePaul again would be an upset. I think it’s our turn to win.”
If Marquette beats DePaul, it will earn a match-up against West Virginia on Sunday. Marquette lost in its only game against West Virginia, 69-56, on Feb. 27. After West Virginia, Marquette would play in the semifinals on Monday, with the final on Tuesday.
