Marquette now claims sole position of first place in the BIG EAST after a 92-77 victory over the Creighton Bluejays Sunday afternoon.
After ending the first half with a 41-38 lead, Marquette started the second half firing on all cylinders as they opened the third quarter on a 14-2 run.
Full court pressure gave Creighton trouble in the third quarter which resulted in some easy transition buckets for Marquette. The Golden Eagles also wreaked havoc on the glass, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds in the third quarter alone.
Junior Amani Wilborn led the way for Marquette with a season-high 23 points and eight rebounds.
Allazia Blockton scored 20 points, including a 3-pointer to close the first half that seemed to be a momentum shifting basket in the game. Blockton leads the BIG EAST in scoring with just under 20 points per game.
Danielle King did a little bit of everything in this one for Marquette. The junior point guard scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and recorded four steals. Natisha Hiedeman also got it done on both ends of the floor with 16 points, five assists and four steals.
Marquette took advantage of its time at the free throw line, shooting 29 for 33 from the charity stripe, despite recent struggles from the line. The Golden Eagles were shooting just 70 percent from the free throw line entering Sunday.
Another key to the game was extra possessions. Marquette won the offensive rebounding battle 18-6 and also won the turnover battle 16-4. Just four turnovers committed is a season best for Marquette.
Four consecutive wins to begin BIG EAST play marks the best start in conference for Marquette in program history. The Golden Eagles are the lone remaining team unbeaten in BIG EAST play. This also marks Marquette’s first win at D.J. Sokol Arena in program history, snapping a seven-game losing streak since the arena opened in 2009. Ninety-two points scored also ties the record for most points scored by the away team in the venue.
Marquette (10-5) next has a road matchup against the Providence Friars (8-9) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST and will be televised on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
