The feeling of going blow-for-blow down the stretch with Providence at Alumni Hall was all too familiar for senior guard Jordan King.
Whether it was hitting a 3-pointer at the horn to give Marquette the win last season, or scoring 11 fourth quarter points to complete an 18-point comeback Saturday, King is likely to not be remembered very fondly by Friar fans.
Marquette (17-5, 6-5 Big East) was able to bounce back from one of its worst starts all year to defeat Providence (11-12, 5-6 Big East) 66-62.
In a season where the Golden Eagles have had issues holding on to leads late on the road, this game was the exact opposite.
Sophomore guard Kenzie Hare was 0-for-4 leading up to the first 3-pointer she hit just 36 seconds into the fourth quarter. Sometimes though, all it takes is one.
“I just said not to look at the scoreboard, don’t worry about many shots you’ve missed,” Marquette head coach Megan Duffy said in a postgame interview with FloSports. “She (Hare) made a big three in the corner there, and then her downhill attack was great.”
After buckets by King and graduate student forward Frannie Hottinger, Marquette cut the Providence lead to one. Then, after taking a charge on the defensive end, Hare hit another triple on the next trip down the floor and Marquette would not trail for the rest of the game.
BOOOM! 💥
Marquette lead.#muwbb pic.twitter.com/KpHBHAb0OS
— Marquette WBB (@MarquetteWBB) February 3, 2024
“I thought she (Hare) was a little bit off today, but that’s the game of basketball,” Duffy said.
“At any point you can get hot on the floor, whether that’s get a rebound, make an assist, or knock down a big shot for us, that’s what I’m really proud (of) is as young player is, she keeps battling and hanging in there.”
Erasing an early deficit
With 2:20 remaining in the first quarter, Marquette called timeout down 20-2. The Golden Eagles had dug themselves a massive hole, and the only way out of it was to start scoring.
Junior forward Emily Archibald already had 11 of her 18 points and getting whatever she wanted.
“We were really uncharacteristically rushed on offense, off a little bit on defense,” Duffy said.
Over the course of the rest of the half, the Golden Eagles would outscore the Friars 25-18 and trailed by just nice points going into halftime.
The Golden Eagles pulled within two points with 3:43 left in the third quarter after a layup from Hare. But that was as close as Marquette would get in the frame, as Providence pushed the lead back up to seven going into the fourth.
However, King — who finished with 17 points — and Hare woke up in the final frame and led the Golden Eagles to outscore the Friars 23-12 to complete the comeback.
Hottinger played a huge role in keeping the Golden Eagles afloat, going for a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. In just her second game after being reinstated into the starting lineup, Hottinger tallied her fourth double-double of the season.
“I’m so happy for Frannie today,” Duffy said. “Her time was coming, we were ready for her to have another breakout game. She’s just been so valuable for us this year but rebounding was tremendous and her touch around the rim was great.”
Up next
Marquette returns home to the Al McGuire Center Wednesday to take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.
