Marquette women’s basketball entered this weekend looking to add to its improbable five-game winning streak. Instead, the Golden Eagles (11-13, 6-7 Big East) plummeted to earth, dropping back-to-back road games.
The Golden Eagles lost a heartbreaker to Georgetown (13-10, 6-7 Big East) Friday and then were soundly defeated by the Villanova Wildcats (15-9, 8-5 Big East) on Sunday afternoon. It was Marquette’s first winless weekend since the beginning of January.
Everything appeared to be business as usual to start the weekend. Marquette controlled Georgetown early on, hitting five of its first seven shots and shooting just shy of 58 percent in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles led 28-19 at the end of the opening frame and they built on that progress in the second quarter. A layup from freshman Amani Wilborn with just under two minutes left stretched the Golden Eagles’ lead to 17 points; their largest of the day. When the halftime buzzer sounded, Marquette held a commanding 47-35 lead over the Hoyas.
That lead was fairly safe for much of the third quarter, but the Hoyas began to make a comeback toward the end of the stanza. Georgetown ripped off a quick 7-0 run in the last three minutes of the quarter to cut Marquette’s lead to only 57-54. The Golden Eagles, who are normally a potent offensive team, shot only 2-of-14 during the quarter.
Things would only get worse for Marquette as the Hoyas started the quarter on an 8-1 spree to take the lead. Marquette stayed competitive for most of the game and even cut the deficit to a single point with less than 20 seconds left, but Georgetown held on after a last-gasp three from freshman guard Allazia Blockton missed the mark to secure a 75-72 victory.
Blockton led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 19 points. Freshman guard Natisha Hiedeman followed close behind with 18 points. Georgetown got big contributions from senior Logan Battle and junior Faith Woodard, who both had 19 points.
Even though the Golden Eagles lost to the Hoyas, they could at least take pride in the fact that victory remained within striking distance for most of the game. The same cannot be said, however, of Marquette’s loss to the Villanova Wildcats. A 17-0 Villanova run to start the game left the Golden Eagles reeling. Marquette was not able to get on the board until freshman forward Erika Davenport finally got a layup to roll in 6:35 into the first quarter.
Marquette was able to mount a 15-5 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second to claw its way back to a 35-28 halftime deficit. That newfound effectiveness did not last long, as the Wildcats outscored the Golden Eagles 31-17 in the third quarter. Villanova ended the game comfortably, winning 81-60 and sinking Marquette’s road record to a dismal 2-10.
Defense has been a constant problem for the Golden Eagles this year and it proved to be their downfall against Villanova. The Wildcats shot just over 57 percent from the floor and over 70 percent in the second half. Two Villanova players – senior guard Caroline Coyer and sophomore guard Alex Louin – accounted for over half of the Wildcats’ points. Louin netted 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting while Coyer dropped in 25 points on an 11-for-18 effort.
It will be a long week ahead for the Marquette women’s team as they return home for their next set of weekend games. Butler and Xavier await the Golden Eagles on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
