Marquette women’s basketball opened its Big East play with a 78-57 win over the Georgetown Hoyas Friday afternoon at McDonough Arena.
Though the matinee in the nation’s capital started with a 3-pointer by the Hoyas, neither team established a lead until the Golden Eagles put together a nine-point run.
Senior forward Chloe Marotta contributed 1o of Marquette’s 22 points in the first quarter, as the Golden Eagles took a 22-13 lead into the second quarter.
Despite Georgetown’s young roster, the Hoyas remained consistent while it managed to keep within an average of about ten points of Marquette throughout the first half.
Marquette had balanced and fair distribution of scoring throughout the first half, which made it defensively difficult for the Hoyas.
Senior Jordan King wrapped up the first half by scoring a second-chance layup, which brought the score to 35-26 on the half.
The Golden Eagles went 100% from the charity stripe and 39% in the field in half. The Hoyas ended the half with 30% from the field.
Junior forward Liza Karlen contributed seven points in the third quarter. In the same quarter, King went 2-for-2 for 3-pointers.
Both teams traded blows in the final quarter. First-year guard Mackenzie Hare stepped out in the final quarter with a swishing 3-pointer. The Naperville, IL native totaled nine points on the morning.
Marquette scored 24 points in fourth, while Georgetown was held to 11.
“The way we pass the ball and share the ball is a big emphasis of Marquette Basketball,” King said in a post-game interview on Flosports.
King ended with 23 points, followed by Karlen with 15 and Marotta with 12. Both Karlen and Marotta hit double digits in rebounds as well.
In the last 45 seconds of play, senior guard Claire Kaifes made a layup, which brought the final outcome to 78-57. 17 of Marquette’s points came from the bench, as for Georgetown, 12 of their points were off the bench.
As a team, Marquette had 30 points in the paint and had a maximum run of 12-0. Overall for Georgetown, the Hoyas scored 24 paint points and eight points of turnovers.
Marquette spent all but three minutes and 16 seconds leading. The Golden Eagles are now (6-1, 1-0 Big East). Marquette will continue its conference play on the road with Seton Hall on Sunday.
“I think it’s huge to celebrate every win, especially in the Big East,” King said.
This article was written by Ava Mares. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @avamaresMU.
