For a team with five freshmen playing significant roles just nine games into their respective careers, it’s not necessarily as much about the result of a game as it is about gaining experience.
That’s why Marquette’s 84-36 pummeling of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-6) Sunday afternoon was as important as any 40 minutes the team has played this year, especially considering its opponent on Wednesday.
The Golden Eagles (5-4) will open the Big East portion of their schedule when they travel to No. 3 Notre Dame, the defending national champion runner-up.
Coach Terri Mitchell isn’t sure what to expect from Marquette on Wednesday but is interested to see how the team responds in a difficult environment.
“If you are going to go in someone’s house, who is one of the best teams in the country and picked to win the Big East, you have to have focus for 40 minutes,” Mitchell said. “Every player cannot back down from their players because they are aggressive, and we can’t be back on our heels. But we’re excited. It’s the Big East.”
Sophomore forward Katherine Plouffe echoed Mitchell’s thoughts on Notre Dame, saying she was looking forward to the challenge and seeing exactly where the team is at right now.
“We’re going to go in there fighting,” Plouffe said. “We are not going to back down for them. We’re not bound to their title or their ranking.”
One player who will need to continue her recent success is freshman guard Arlesia Morse, who led the team with 19 points in the win over the Lady Lions Sunday.
Morse was 9-of-10 from the free throw line, as part of a 31-of-41 effort as a team. Friday, in a 66-50 loss to No. 21 Green Bay, Morse chipped in 11 points in 36 minutes of play.
“I think I’m playing pretty well right now, but there is definitely room for improvement,” Morse said. “I have to cut down on my turnovers a little bit and do it in a hurry.”
Morse’s assessment is accurate. Through nine games, she has 26 turnovers compared to just seven assists.
The freshman’s line is a microcosm of the entire team, who turned the ball over 18 times on Sunday, just three below its 21.1 per game average. Notre Dame has forced its opponents into 213 turnovers in eight games, an average of 26.6 turnovers per game.
Mitchell wasn’t happy with the 18 turnovers Sunday but was happy that the team at least cut down its average, which was 21.5 before the game.
“Ideally, I’d like to be around 13 or 14 turnovers, so I am going to take one step at a time,” Mitchell said. “When you reduce it ( the turnover rate), you have to take the next step and keep reducing it.
“It’s everybody on this team. You can’t just focus on any one person, but we have to take collective deep breaths when we catch, square and before we start dribbling, become better decision-makers.”
Plouffe noted the 28 turnovers the team forced Arkansas-Pine Bluff into as well as the Lady Lions’ 24.5 percent shooting as two positives to take away from the game and hopefully moving forward.
“We see ourselves as a defensive threat and want that to be known as part of our identity,” Plouffe said. “Changing up our defense and picking up our pressure in the second half, which caused some turnovers, and they got a little overwhelmed by it.”