On a night where Marquette could have clinched the BIG EAST regular season crown, No. 13 Marquette women’s basketball suffered just its third conference defeat with a 71-65 loss to Creighton.
The Golden Eagles shot just 36 percent from the field and 7 for 21 from beyond the arc. Foul trouble from senior guard Allazia Blockton and redshirt sophomore Lauren Van Kleunen also plagued Marquette throughout the game.
Only two Marquette players scored in double digits. Senior guard Natisha Hiedeman contributed 22 points to lead MU, and fellow senior Amani Wilborn added 21.
Senior point guard Danielle King suffered a lower body injury early in the fourth quarter. Her status remains unclear after she had to be carried off the court.
Marquette’s play early in the game was certainly not that of a BIG EAST Champion. Creighton used a 20-0 run to take a 33-13 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Marquette finally shifted momentum, going on an 8-0 run, but MU trailed 40-27 at halftime.
The Golden Eagles put up a strong fight at the end of the game, but it was not enough to overcome the Bluejays’ massive lead.
Blockton fouled out in just 12 minutes of play. Freshman forward Chloe Marotta took her spot and had seven rebounds in the game.
For Creighton, forward Audrey Faber had 24 points and seven rebounds. Jaylyn Agnew had 15 points, and Temi Carda contributed 11.
Marquette now falls to 23-6 overall and 14-3 in BIG EAST play.
The loss also likely dashes the Golden Eagles’ hopes of hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as a top-16 seed.
Marquette has its final regular season game at Providence on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m. Central Time.
