Not even the fire alarm could stop Marquette’s hot shooting Friday afternoon as the Golden Eagles came out with a 96-60 rout over Seton Hall.
Marquette dominated Seton Hall early on and hopped to an early 13-4 lead. The Golden Eagles shot 64 percent from the first half.
“Our first five minutes was kind of a blow to them,” head coach Carolyn Kieger said. “We started out with a hunger and with a desire that we talked about after the Georgetown game.”
The Golden Eagles also shut down the Pirates’ three leading scorers: Nicole Jimenez, Inja Butina and Shadeen Samuels, who combined for only four points at the half. By halftime, Marquette had a massive 25-point lead at 56-31 over Seton Hall. The next half was not much different.
Three minutes into the third quarter, Butina fouled out. Without one of their top guards, the Pirates struggled finding the basket due to the Golden Eagles’ defensive pressure.
Marquette was up against a Seton Hall defense ranked 20th in the nation in steals per game.
“It was very intense just having to go to the basket with a lot of hands on you,” senior guard Amani Wilborn said. “You never know who (is) going to come out and block your shot so you just have to attack strong and be confident.”
However, the Golden Eagles took care of the ball well in the first half, committing only five steals. With the game out of reach and bench players receiving more minutes, Seton Hall had 10 second-half steals.
“The way we’re passing the ball right now is (at) an elite level,” Kieger said. “No one cares about the credit. … We’re just trying to make the right basketball play, the Marquette play. … The ball isn’t sticking in anyone’s hands and it’s really making us hard to guard.”
Seton Hall never had the lead and did not tie. Marquette’s largest lead was 40 points.
The win was on Milwaukee Public Schools Day, when local elementary school students went on a field trip to the game. It had extra meaning for the players from Milwaukee.
“Three of us are from the area,” Wilborn said. “I know my old elementary school was out there. I wondered if the teachers remembered me. … It was just a fun environment.”
The win came despite senior guard Allazia Blockton being inactive for the fifth game in a row.
The four starting seniors all scored in double digits. Natisha Hiedeman led all scorers with 28 points. Wilborn had 20 points, and Danielle King had 12 points. Senior forward Erika Davenport recorded a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 10 boards.
For Seton Hall, Victoria Cardaci had a team-high 16 points. Sophomore forward Selena Philoxy recorded the Pirates’ only double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
As for Blockton, Kieger said her return is a on a day-by-day basis.
No. 14 Marquette (15-3, 6-0 BIG EAST) will look for its seventh consecutive win, hosting St. John’s Sunday at 2 p.m. Central Standard Time.
“We play it one game at a time,” Kieger said. “We’re 1-0 right now. Tomorrow morning we’ll be 0-0, that’s how we’ve been approaching it all season.”
