Marquette women’s basketball traveled to Philadelphia to take on Villanova in the team’s final game of the regular season, but the Golden Eagles were unable to get things rolling and fell to the Wildcats 81-64.
The Golden Eagles (20-9, 11-7) started off the game well with baskets by junior Apiew Ojulu and sophomore Brooklyn Pumroy, but then the Wildcats found their footing and went on a 13-0 run to get ahead 19-6 just before the under-12 timeout. Marquette was able to cut the lead to just four points, but Villanova countered with a 13-0 run to add more cushion. When the first half ended, Marquette trailed by 19.
Marquette managed to outscore Villanova in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to erase the 19-point deficit. By the second under-12 timeout, the Wildcats expanded the lead to 23. The Golden Eagles tried to close the gap, but Villanova ended up pushing back. When the final buzzer sounded, Villanova got the 81-64 win.
Villanova was able to come out and attack the Marquette defense because of junior Emily Leer and senior Devon Kane. Leer dominated the first half, scoring 21 of her 23 points and shooting perfect from the field. Kane also notched 23 points in the game, and both led the Wildcats to a remarkable shooting day.
As a team, Villanova shot 59.2 percent from the field, including shooting 61.9 percent from behind the arc. Leer went 5-for-6 from three-point land, while Kane went 3-for-4.
For the Golden Eagles, Pumroy paved the way with 13 points, followed by junior Arlesia Morse with 12 and senior Katherine Plouffe with 11. The team shot a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc in the first half, but could only hit 1-of-6 in the second. Overall, the team shot 43.6 percent from the field.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles head into the Big East Tournament as the No. 5 seed. Their quarterfinal matchup is a rematch against Villanova. If Marquette manages to get revenge against the Wildcats, the team will face DePaul or the winner of the Georgetown and Xavier first-round game. Tip-off for Marquette’s Big East Tournament game is 8:30 p.m. at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
