For the final time in her five-year colligate career, senior guard Chloe Marotta laced up her blue Jordans and stepped out onto the Al McGuire Center court.
The Mequon, Wisconsin native was celebrated by fans and family alike as the lone senior for Marquette, prior to tonight’s regular season finale against DePaul.
From a dominating first quarter, Marquette set the tone and paved its path to a 98-80 victory over DePaul.
Here’s a breakdown of the win:
Game MVP:
The Marotta clan bleeds Blue and Gold and Chloe’s standout final season is one for the books.
Marotta has played the second-most games of any player in MUWBB history. She is one of just seven Marquette players to achieve the 1,000 point and 800 rebound mark.
“Coach (Duffy) asked me before the game ‘Are you gonna cry?’ and I was like ‘No coach I’m not gonna cry we got a game to play’ then all of a sudden they showed the video, I saw my teammates, they called my name and I was like ‘Oh God’ it’s all hitting me right now, right before the game, so I teared up a little bit,” Marotta said. “It was a special moment and I think if you have that much emotion in you, to play with that type of emotion is exactly what I was trying to tell myself to do.”
On the evening, Marotta went on a 11-3 run of her own, as well as notching 13 of the first frame’s 34 points. In total, she finished with 22-points and six rebounds.
Key Stats:
- In the first half, both teams scored 18-points in the paint. Marquette snagged 15 second-chance points, while DePaul had just two.
- Marquette scored 34-points in the first quarter; the most Marquette has scored in a single-frame this season.
- Aneesha Morrow heads the DePaul team statistically with an average of 25.7 points, which puts her at a rank of fourth in nation. At the Al, she posted 29 points and five rebounds.
- Junior forward Liza Karlen had a double-double of 26 points and 14 rebounds. The forward player went 2-for-2 beyond the arc and 4-for-4 on the charity stripe.
- Overall, Marquette finished with 36 rebounds, while DePaul ended with 25. Additionally, Marquette rebounded 26 of 30 points.
Notes:
- The game marked the 84th meeting between the Blue Demons and the Golden Eagles, the most played opponent in Marquette program history. DePaul leads the all-time series 49-35, despite the Golden Eagles now winning five of the last six contests.
- Marquette held the largest lead of 20 points over DePaul, 74-54 to start the fourth quarter.
- Marquette reached a new level as it concluded with a season-high of 98 points. The previous game-high was 83 points against Saint Francis Nov. 27.
Quote of the Day:
“Chloe means a lot to our program, this athletic department and university. She’s the epitome of what is great in college athletics,” head coach Megan Duffy said. “She is always hanging in there, growing her role every year. She got a great little gift from COVID to be able to play an extra year and what she’s done to take advantage of every opportunity she had, she leads us in the locker room and you see her smile and her joy out there on the court.”
Up Next:
Marquette travels to Uncasville, Connecticut for the Big East Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Golden Eagles are to take on St. John’s as a 5-4 seed at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday.
This article was written by Ava Mares. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @avamaresMU
