Senior guard Allazia Blockton became the leading scorer in Marquette women’s basketball history in Sunday’s 76-57 win over Northwestern.
Coming into the game, Blockton needed 15 points to tie Krystal Ellis’ record of 1,940 career points. She overcame that plateau in the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Natisha Hiedeman pulled down the defensive rebound and noticed Blockton sprinting down the court. Blockton hauled in the cross-court pass, took a dribble and banked it in from the left block through contact to secure the record.
“It feels good. I didn’t know I was anywhere close,” Blockton said. “I don’t really pay attention to stuff like that, so I was just focused on getting the win.”
Even though Blockton said she was not aware that she was about to set the record, her head coach was certainly cognizant of the situation.
“I didn’t say anything until after the game. I wanted her to stay as focused as can be,” head coach Carolyn Kieger said. “Then after the game we all just hugged her and said congratulations. That’s the first thing we did.”
Kieger, who served as Marquette’s point guard in her playing years, has a special connection to the record. She played with the previous record holder, Krystal Ellis, in the 2005-’06 season.
“I got to play with Krystal Ellis, so I knew what she was capable of,” Kieger said. “Obviously I got to coach Allazia Blockton, so (I was) involved with both of their two careers. They’re both phenomenal players, but Allazia Blockton is very, very special.”
Blockton, a senior guard who hails from Milwaukee, has been a key contributor to the No. 18 Golden Eagles’ success since her freshman year. She is a two-time unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team player, the reigning BIG EAST Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a WBCA All-American and a member of the Meyers Drysdale Award watchlist for top shooting guard in the nation.
“She’s had a lot of big games against a lot of people. The game slows down for her, you see that a lot with great players,” Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said. “She never rushes but she plays fast, too. She’s got a great sense of where she’s at on the court. I knew coming in that was going be a tough matchup for us.”
Blockton will be crucial to this team’s success as the season moves along, but for the time being, Kieger said she wants to simply live in the moment.
“We really want to celebrate Allazia Blockton today,” Kieger said. “It’s quite an accomplishment that will clearly go down in history. That’s a testament to her, her hard work and obviously her teammates.”
