After a two-week homestand, Marquette women’s basketball was back on the road against Seton Hall looking to increase its win streak to six games.
The Pirates had other plans as they defeated the Golden Eagles 72-60 on Friday night.
Seton Hall brought the early press on defense leading to first-quarter woes for Marquette. The Golden Eagles did not make a single field goal in the final 2:46 of the quarter giving the Pirates a 22-14 lead.
The second quarter was not much better for MU. With 4:01 left to play in the quarter with her team down 17, Marquette head coach Megan Duffy called a timeout when SHU was on a 21-6 run in the quarter.
In the first half, Marquette shot 35% from the field and turned over the ball 12 times giving the Pirates a 40-25 lead heading into the third.
Despite shooting a quarter best 42% from the field and bringing the game within eight points, Marquette found themselves down 10 heading into the final frame.
Seton Hall went on 8-0 run during the fourth quarter, cruising to a 72-60 win.
Marquette shot 1-for-9 from beyond the arc with the lone three-pointer coming from first-year guard Jordan King. King finished with five points shooting 2-for-7.
Redshirt junior forward Lauren Van Kleunen led Marquette with 15 points, eight rebounds and one block.
The Golden Eagles shot 83% from the charity stripe, shooting 15-18. Junior guard Selena Lott was 9-for-10 on the night. Lott finished second in scoring for MU with 11 points. It’s the first game this season Lott did not record an assist in a game, she entered the night leading the BIG EAST in assists with 5.8 per game.
Alexis Lewis led Seton Hall with 28 points shooting 11-for-15, adding eight rebounds, one block and three steals.
It is the first time since March of 2016 that Seton Hall has beaten Marquette, snapping the Golden Eagles’ seven-game winning streak against the Pirates.
With six games left in the regular season, Marquette is in a three-way tie for second place in the conference with Butler and Seton Hall. The Bulldogs come to the Al McGuire Center next Sunday, Feb. 16.
Marquette (17-6, 8-4 BIG EAST) will remain on the road to take on St. John’s Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time.
