A 21-0 run in the second quarter set the tone for the Marquette women’s basketball team as the Golden Eagles took down Saint Francis Red Flash by a score of 83-40 Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.
Here is a breakdown of the Golden Eagles’ win:
Game MVP:
Junior forward Liza Karlen recorded 18 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Karlen played 22 minutes and went 8-14 from the field for a shooting percentage of 57.1%.
Karlen credited her teammates for helping her get to 18 points.
“My teammates just did an incredible job getting me the ball, ” Karlen said. “Honestly, I think that they saw me more wide open than I thought I was. So, I have to give props to all my teammates that saw me.”
Head coach Megan Duffy said Karlen’s aggressiveness made the difference for her in this game.
“It was efficient, in 21 minutes to get her numbers was great,” said Duffy. “I thought she was aggressive in this game, and somebody that can continue to score inside outside.”
Key Stats:
- All 12 players on Marquette’s roster played and all 12 of them scored at least two points.
- All 12 players grabbed rebounds for Marquette as the Golden Eagles out-rebounded St. Francis 52-39. Of Marquette’s 52 board, 21 came on the offensive end.
- Marquette recorded 23 assists in the game on 33 made baskets.
- 22 turnovers forced by the Golden Eagles in the first half, while turning the ball over just 11 times themselves.
Notes:
- First-year forward Charia Smith recorded her first points of her collegiate career on a jump shot in the second quarter.
- Sophomore forward Makiyah Williams went on a personal 6-0 run in the midst of the 21-0 second quarter run.
- Red Flash junior forward Aaliyah Moore made her homecoming return to Milwaukee, finishing with a nine point and nine rebound performance. Moore attended West Bend West High School.
Quote of the day:
Duffy mentioned the depth of the team as its biggest asset looking towards Big East play.
“We talk about our team having strength in numbers, whatever rotation we’re using people contribute in all different ways,” Duffy said . “I like that today. Just the fact that everybody scored. Everybody got a board, which is good. Hopefully, that’ll give us some confidence for next weekend.”
Next up:
Marquette (6-1) travels to Washington D.C. to kick off Big East play Friday against Georgetown (3-2) at 10 a.m. CST.
This article was written by John Gunville. He can be reached at j[email protected] and on Twitter @GunvilleJohn.
