Despite the absence of star junior guard Selena Lott in the lineup, Marquette women’s basketball overpowered the Xavier Musketeers Friday, securing a 61-48 victory.

Marquette is now in sole possession of second place in the BIG EAST, and have a chance to put distance between themselves and third-place Butler on Sunday.

Even though MU got out to a slow start in the first and third quarters, the Golden Eagles rallied back and maintained their undefeated home record in conference play. Here’s a breakdown of Marquette’s win:

Game MVP

Senior guard Isabelle Spingola had an impressive game in Lott’s absence, putting up a game-high 21 points on the night. 

The Chicago native shot 7-for-17 from the field on the day, making five of her field goals from beyond the arc. 

Spingola was the only Marquette player to make a shot from distance, as the rest of the team went 0-for-4 from three.

Notes

• Marquette once again looked lackluster in the first quarter, shooting just 33% from the field.
• MU used a 16-2 run at the end of the second quarter to regain the lead and enter halftime with a 33-22 lead.
• Lott missed the matchup with a lower body injury. Marquette’s leading scorer sat on the bench with a boot on her right foot. First-year guard Nirel Lougbo started in Lott’s absence and put up five points, six rebounds and three assists in her time.
• Senior Altia Anderson scored eight points and totaled a game-high eight rebounds on the day.
• Redshirt junior Lauren Van Kleunen recorded eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
• First-year guard Jordan King contributed just six points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field, but added five rebounds and a game-high four assists.
• Xavier’s leading scorer A’riana Gray scored 12 points on the night, but only shot 4-for-17 from the field.

Next Up

Marquette (19-6, 10-4 BIG EAST) remains at the Al McGuire Center for a big matchup against the Butler Bulldogs Sunday. 

The two teams will battle for sole possession of second place in the BIG EAST, with the game tipping off at 2 p.m.

This article was written by Dan Avington. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @danavington.