Head coach Carolyn Kieger challenged junior guard Isabelle Spingola to attempt eight 3-pointers before Monday’s game against Binghamton.
Spingola did much more, going 8-for-12 from 3-point range to tie the program record for 3-pointers made in a single game. She accomplished this during Marquette’s 93-40 win over Binghamton Monday night.
“She’s one of the best shooters in the country,” Kieger said. “She just has to keep being confident.”
Spingola’s performance tied Courtney Weibel’s eight threes almost exactly eight years ago and current teammate Natisha Hiedeman’s eight threes against Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Spingola’s career-high 24 points Monday night were despite an underwhelming first half. She went into halftime scoreless, missing all three shots.
“I started the first half pretty slow,” Spingola said. “In the second half, I think my teammates did a really good job of sharing the ball and finding the hot hands.”
Her record-tying night came two days after scoring 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from behind the arc against in-state rival Green Bay.
“She’s been shooting lights out in practice,” Kieger said. “She’s earning it. She’s getting in the gym and getting up extra reps.”
The junior guard was not the only one with the hot hand, however. The team also tied a program record for threes in a game with 14 3-pointers.
“Her teammates found the hot hand,” Kieger said. “Allazia (Blockton) was hot in the first half. Obviously Izzy (Spingola) was hot in the second half.”
The Golden Eagles shot the three incredibly efficiently, shooting 52 percent from long range.
Marquette also dominated down low, owning a 38-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 43-29 rebounding advantage.
The full-court press prevented the Bearcats from finding any offensive rhythm, as Binghamton turned the ball over 24 times. That resulted in 30 Marquette points on the other end.
Binghamton struggled to keep up with Marquette’s tempo, as the Golden Eagles outscored the Bearcats 29-2 in the fastbreak.
With Binghamton’s loss, the Bearcats have lost all five road games by a combined 159 points, which also includes a 50-point loss to No. 2 Notre Dame Sunday.
Meanwhile, Spingola’s shooting prowess will add another dimension to Marquette’s offense going into its contest this Saturday against No. 2 Notre Dame.
“If she can keep shooting that way and keep playing tough on the defensive end, she’s going to be a really big weapon for us,” Kieger said.
The sharpshooting guard from Chicago is no stranger to success against the Fighting Irish. She contributed 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep in last year’s 91-85 loss at Notre Dame.
“She kept us in the game,” Kieger said. “She hit three big threes. I know that they are going to be worried about her, and I think that will spread the floor for everyone else.”
Now Spingola will look to keep Marquette in the game again Saturday in Notre Dame’s first trip to the Al McGuire Center since 2013. Redemption from last year’s loss will require much more than hot shooting from Spingola, though. Notre Dame standout and Milwaukee native Arike Ogunbowale leads a team with nine players returning from a national title.
“The key to the game is going to be rebounding,” Kieger said. “That’s what hurt us last year and what lost us the game. They got two crucial offensive rebounds. Everyone has to be ready, from No. 1 (on the depth chart) to No. 12.”
