Following its first Big East loss and a canceled matchup against Morgan State, the Marquette women’s basketball team returned to the hardwood Saturday afternoon against Loyola Chicago looking to get back into the win column.
And the Golden Eagles did just that as they kicked off their four-game homestand with a 77-53 win over the Ramblers at the Al McGuire Center.
“Loyola is definitely a different style than what we (Marquette) saw in our first two Big East games,” senior guard Jordan King said. “I think that’s something cool that brings in our non-conference and conference games is being able to switch up how we respond to styles of play.”
The Golden Eagles’ defense made an impact from the jump as they held the Ramblers scoreless over the first five minutes as Marquette jumped out to a 9-0 lead.
Loyola quickly found its offensive footing after that, as it went on a short run of its own in the last three minutes of the first quarter to cut the deficit to 15-14.
A jumper by first-year guard Emily La Chapell in the final 41 seconds of play concluded the first quarter giving Marquette a 17-14 advantage.
“It was kind of a coming out party for her today,” head coach Megan Duffy said. “I thought she practiced great this week and it really carried over to her game minutes.”
The second frame opened with a 3-pointer by senior guard Jordan King.
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Prior to tip-off, King was honored at half-court for hitting the 1,000-point milestone in blue and gold.
“It was awesome to be recognized for my 1,000 point, it’s a huge milestone and I’m so thankful to have every person apart of this program here with me,” King said.
King went 2-for-2 for 3-pointers in the second frame. Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter. Marquette out-rebounded the Ramblers 12-7 in the quarter.
Despite both teams contributing the same amount, Marquette maintained its initial lead, concluding the half 31-28.
Much like the start of the first half, Marquette scored a quick 10 points in the first three minutes of the second half while holding Loyola scoreless.
“Our third and fourth quarters were obviously very strong,” Duffy said. “We had a tough few moments in the first and second quarters.”
The Golden Eagles extended its run to 12-2 to open the third quarter and held their lead for the rest of the frame.
Duffy said La Chapell helped set the tone for Marquette’s second half.
“Emily is athletic, she has great anticipation. She had 6 boards in 20 minutes, and I thought that was a great stat to keep momentum going for us in the third and fourth quarters,” Duffy said.
Unlike the previous quarter, Marquette recorded 24 points in the frame while Loyola was held to less than half of that.
In the first 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, King tied her career-high of 25 points. Then four minutes later, King hit a layup to surpass her career high.
King finished with a career-high 30 points on the afternoon.
“She continues to raise to every challenge and is a selfless leader,” Duffy said. “It’s so much fun as a coach to watch her continue to play different ways to help us be successful.”
Marquette dominated the final quarter as it established its largest lead of the game, 77-50.
Following in King’s footsteps, La Chapell created a new career-high in blue and gold for herself of 12 points.
“Coming in as a freshman is a big change, but I feel one of my biggest strengths is my IQ and drive to improve,” La Chapell said. “Every single day when I get in the gym, that’s my mindset.”
For the Ramblers, junior guard Maya Chandler paved the way with 20 points on the afternoon.
Marquette out-rebounded Loyola 40-24 and posted 30 more points in the paint than the Ramblers, 58-28.
As Duffy’s squad prepares for the rest of their homestand parade, she emphasized the importance of finals week.
“The biggest concern for us right now is to lock into school and get the projects and papers, get studying for finals done,” Duffy said. “We usually take a couple days off in the early part of finals weeks to get them honed into what’s most important.”
The Golden Eagles keep the advantage over the Ramblers in the all-time series with a 12-8 record. Marquette has won the past nine matchups.
Marquette (8-2, 1-1 Big East) will now return to conference play as it is slated to host Butler Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. CST.
This article was written by Ava Mares. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @avamaresMU.
