With 7:45 left in the game, junior Katherine Plouffe stole the ball from the Bearcats and hit freshman Brooklyn Pumroy with a lead pass. Pumroy was on a fast break and converted the layup to put the Golden Eagles up by four points. It would be the last time the Golden Eagles made a field goal.
Over the next 7:45, the Bearcats would go on a 6-2 run, the only Marquette points coming from two free throws made by senior Sarina Simmons at the 2:29 mark.
The game would be tied with just 13 seconds left, until Cincinnati’s Tiffany Turner made a lay-up with one second left.
The Marquette Golden Eagles (12-12, 4-7) couldn’t get a last second basket, and the Cincinnati Bearcats (9-15, 1-10) got their first Big East win of the year with a score of 54-52.
For Marquette, this was a trap game, and the team fell for it. The Golden Eagles were riding momentum off a big win against Villanova, and a win against Cincinnati could have provided a huge momentum boost for No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday.
As for the Bearcats, the team gets to exorcise its winless demon. With its first Big East win, the pressure to get that win is no longer there, and the team can function normally.
The tale of the tape was free throws. Marquette shot 6-for-8 from the line, which is average for what a team should be shooting. The Bearcats, however, shot 15-for-22. The Golden Eagles sent Cincinnati to the line more than double the amount they were.
Marquette’s two free throw misses would come with 14 seconds left in the game. Simmons was sent to the line as Marquette’s leading scorer with 19 points. She would miss both of her free throws, and junior Jeanise Randolph of Cincinnati would get the defensive rebound that would set up the final score.
The Golden Eagles came out of the gate and made sure to get the first baskets, outscoring the Bearcats 6-4 in the first 2:30 of the game. But then the wheels fell off for Marquette.
The Bearcats went on a 14-0 run, riding five points by redshirt junior Dayeesha Hollins. Hollins would end up being the Bearcats leading scorer, notching 19 points with three assists and rebounds.
Marquette would answer with its own 13-2 run, thanks to production from Simmons, eight points, and Pumroy, five points.
The Golden Eagles welcome the Fighting Irish on Sunday, which will be the biggest test of the year save for the games against Connecticut. Notre Dame will be a good gut-check game for Marquette as the team comes down to the final stretch of the regular season.
