The Marquette women’s basketball team (4-14, 0-7) is coming off its seventh consecutive loss and looks to right the ship at home against the Providence Friars (4-14, 1-6), Friday.
In their last matchup, the Golden Eagles took on the St. John’s Red Storm (14-4, 5-2) in New York City and despite a solid first half, Marquette could not pull off the victory, losing 67-52. Senior guard Arlesia Morse led the way for the gold and blue, scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and four 3-pointers, as well as picking up four boards. Also assisting in the effort were freshman guards Tia Elbert and Kenisha Bell, each finishing with nine points. Bell added eight rebounds, six assists and two steals to her stat line.
The Golden Eagles trailed by only two after the opening half, 30-28, thanks to 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) shooting and going 2-of-5 from 3-point range. But like many of its last few games, Marquette couldn’t stay consistent for a full game. The team shot only 21 percent from the field in the second half, less than half the shooting percentage from the first, and went 2-for-8 from three. The Golden Eagles also lost the rebounding battle, 42-36, and turned the ball over 17 times. Had Marquette copied its shooting percentage from the first half, the Golden Eagles would have won.
In Friday’s showdown, the Golden Eagles will face a very even opponent in Providence.
The Friars have one Big East victory, against Villanova Dec. 3, and are losers of six straight. The Friars are tied for the best free throw shooting percentage in the conference (.713), but do not rank in the league’s elite in much else. Providence has the fewest amount of defensive rebounds in the Big East, which could play to Marquette’s strength, as the Golden Eagles are one of the best rebounding teams in the conference. The Friars also average 61 points per game this season, compared to Marquette’s 66, and the Providence defense allows 67 points per game on average.
If Marquette wants to win this game, the team will have to take advantage of the Friars’ lackluster rebounding and score on second chances, as well as keep the Friars to single shot possessions. Morse was the only player with more than five rebounds last game and the Golden Eagles will need a better rebounding effort in order to beat Providence. Marquette will also have to avoid turnovers, as has been the case all season. Coach Carolyn Kieger’s team sits dead last in the Big East in turnovers per game (19.3), turnover margin (-4), and assist to turnover ratio (0.6).
The Golden Eagles will take on Providence at the Al McGuire Center at 7 p.m., Friday.
