It was a tough week of inter-state play for Marquette basketball, with the women’s team falling to Green Bay on Tuesday and the men’s loss to Wisconsin Saturday.
In their final non-conference road game of the season, the women’s team found rivalry redemption after trekking down a snow-covered I-94 to take on and defeat Wisconsin Sunday, 81-75.
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start, pushing the pace and forcing turnovers on defense. Utilizing a press and trap-heavy defensive scheme, Marquette was able to force eight turnovers in the first half. Midway through the second quarter, the team had amassed a double-digit lead, with 10 of those points coming off fast-break.
Despite being down nine at halftime, the Badgers stormed back into the game while outscoring Marquette 25-15 in the third quarter, putting the score at 53-52 in their favor headed into the final frame of play.
During the final 10 minutes of play, Marquette got back on track and pulled away thanks to six steals and through a combination of blitzing defense and running the floor.
“The way we started that fourth quarter is the team we need to be,” head coach Carolyn Kieger said. “That is playing with reckless abandonment and if we play like that we are a really good team, but when we are passive and not passionate we become average very quick and that’s what we are going to try and fix this week. It is about doing the little things.”
Marquette outscored the Badgers 29-22 in the fourth quarter, which also saw leading Badger scorer Cayla McMorris foul out with 4:25 left on the clock.
“I think we amped the game up with our pressure and started to play the game the way we were supposed to and started to deny the inbounds and I think that made a difference,” Kieger said.
By game’s end, team leading scorer Allazia Blockton scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Erika Davenport secured her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Natisha Hiedeman chipped in 17 points and seven assists and McKayla Yentz, despite shooting 0 for 7 from deep in the past two games, knocked down four triples and ended the game with 14 points.
This victory gives the Golden Eagles a 7-2 record as they return home to take on city rival UW-Milwaukee Dec. 18 at the Al McGuire Center.
