Marquette women’s basketball head coach Megan Duffy called a timeout during the first quarter after sophomore guard Emily Carver nailed a 3-pointer gave Appalachian State a 16-12 lead. For one of the first times this season, it looked like the Golden Eagles were not on their top game, and Duffy agreed.
After the timeout, No. 19 Marquette (11-0) found its footing and stayed undefeated, beating the Mountaineers (5-0) 99-91 Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.
It is both the most points the Golden Eagles have given up and scored in a game this season.
Flipping the script
Duffy had called timeout after Marquette started the game on the back foot — Carver’s 3-pointer was just the last straw.
But, after she got a chance to speak to her team, senior guard Jordan King nailed her own 3-pointer and started the domino reaction.
Over the second quarter, Marquette pieced together a 27-12 extended run, which was catalyzed by another 3-pointer from King, backed up by baskets from six different Golden Eagles and finished by senior forward Liza Karlen at the free-throw line.
In the frame, Marquette shot 9-for-16 from the field and 3-for-8 from beyond the arc and forced Appalachian State to go 6-for-17 and 0-for-6 from deep. The Golden Eagles outscored (27-14), out-rebounded (10-8) and out-blocked (3-0) the Mountaineers to head into halftime with a 51-41 lead.
After that, it was smooth sailing for Marquette who, despite being outscored 50-48 in the second half, would cruise to its 99-91 victory.
King has her way
King did just about everything right for the Golden Eagles.
The Rockton, Illinois native finished with 29 points — four shy of tying her career-high of 31 — five rebounds and five assists, draining a career-most six 3-pointers in the process.
She also further cemented herself into Marquette legacy moving into 12th place all-time on the career scoring list at Marquette with 1,569 career points and third all-time in games played with 135.
Statistical leaders
Not far behind King was Karlen, who finished with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Graduate student guard/forward Frannie Hottinger grabbed a Marquette-most 21 rebounds, also scoring 14 points, good for her third double-double of the season.
Appalachian State was led by Carver and senior guard Faith Alston, who both managed to score 19 points each.
Up next
Marquette hosts Bucknell Thursday at the Al McGuire Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CST.
This story was written by Sophia Woods. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @SophiaWoodsMU.
