It came down to the final second, literally.
No. 19 Marquette women’s basketball was trailing by one point when Rose Nkumu inbounded the ball from the baseline with five seconds remaining to Liza Karlen. Karlen received the ball in the paint and threw it up at the hoop, just to watch the ball, and any chance of a win, rim out.
The Golden Eagles (12-2, 1-2 Big East) didn’t score in the final three minutes of the game, ending in a 57-56 defeat to the St. John’s Red Storm (8-7, 2-1 Big East) Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena.
It is Marquette’s second defeat in a row after it lost 95-64 to No. 12 UConn Sunday.
Starter struggle
Senior guard Jordan King wasn’t heavily involved in the offense at the start, as she went 1-for-2 on field goals in the opening quarter, along with one rebound and one assist. But, she did pick up two personal fouls and thus saw the bench for the entire second quarter.
King would finished the game with 11 points, having taken only six shots and making four of them.
Looking to alleviate some of the half court offensive pressure, Marquette looked to find their 3-point expert, sophomore guard Mackenzie Hare. Shooting 53.09% and being third in the nation for 3-point percentage, Hare looked to be the surefire answer to their prayers, yet something was off.
The Naperville, Illinois native went 1-for-7 from beyond the arc and 1-for-9 overall, scoring only three points after being attacked by the Red Storm pressure.
Nkumu also struggled, finishing with four points on 2-for-6 shooting and committing three turnovers to two assists.
As a team, Marquette shot 36.4% from beyond the arc. Improved from UConn, but not up to its normal standard.
Turnover trouble
For a team that averages 14 turnovers a game, Wednesday was a shock for Marquette.
The Red Storm — who committed 18 turnovers — were able to force the Golden Eagles into ending with a total of 23 turnovers on the game. St. John’s would score 20 points and 18 fastbreak points off them, while Marquette scored 16 turnover points and only nine fastbreak points.
Statistical leaders
Senior forward Frannie Hottinger led the Golden Eagles with 15 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and Karlen was right on her tail, scoring 14 points while also earning eight rebounds.
St. John’s had players step up when needed — especially when it came to putting pressure on Marquette — but there was one player who outshined the rest: senior guard Unique Drake. Drake was the voice of the game as she went 10-18 on field goals and ended with a loud 24 points, 42% of St. John’s overall 57 points.
Up next
Marquette will look to get back in the win column when it faces Xavier (1-10, 0-2 Big East) Saturday at the Al McGuire Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m CST.
This article was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.
