After a week away from the court, Marquette women’s basketball did not show any signs of rust, taking down UW-Milwaukee 78-56 Sunday afternoon.
First-year guard Jordan King’s performance was a key part of the Golden Eagles’ double-digit win.
The Rockton, Illinois, native had a career-high 18 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc.
“Her first half was tremendous. Just steady, making shots and obviously running the point for us,” head coach Megan Duffy said. “Just made some timely baskets for us.”
The 5-foot-11 guard attributed her success to the rest of the team’s offensive performance.
“Offensively just the way the ball was moving for us … allowed inside touches and back out to the three,” King said.
MU started on a 9-0 run to open the game thanks to 3-pointers from King, junior guard Selena Lott, and senior guard Izzy Spingola. The Golden Eagles shot 57% from the field and knocked down all four 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
Then the Golden Eagles limited UWM to six points and 20% shooting in the second quarter.
However, this performance from Marquette’s defense was no new shock, as it has been the heart and soul of the previous eight games.
“Energy was big. Got some shot clock violations, were jumping on every loose ball on the floor,” Duffy said. “We just made their offense difficult to execute for different reasons, our size and athleticism.”
UWM’s five turnovers in the third quarter helped Marquette go into the fourth quarter with a 54-34 lead.
The Panthers then scored 22 points in the fourth quarter, but Marquette’s 62% shooting and Lott’s eight points in the quarter were enough to hold onto the big win.
“That is the thing about Milwaukee, they never give up. They just keep pressuring,” Duffy said. “We talked about that in one of those timeouts to just keep putting our foot on the gas, get confident and back on our heels.”
It is the Marquette’s second in-state win this season after defeating UW-Green Bay just 19 days ago.
“Obviously we support all the in-state teams when not playing them, but it was great going up to Green Bay getting that win and here too,” Duffy said. “To do it on the road … is just awesome.”
MU now leads the crosstown rivalry with a 30-19 record and has won 19 of the last 20 against the Panthers.
Marquette (7-2) has some time off before heading to South Dakota State Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
This story was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.
