Plugged-in: Making History

Sophia Woods, Assistant Sports Editor • March 25, 2024

Plugged-in is your one-stop shop for all things Marquette Athletics from the past seven days. Look for Plugged-in every Monday morning.

Men’s Basketball Makes the Sweet 16

The No. 2 seed Golden Eagles exorcised last year’s demons and did what no Marquette team has done since 2013, booking their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

In its NCAA Tournament opener Friday, Marquette pulled off the comeback victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky, 87-69.
Kam Jones scored a game-high 28 points, 18 of which came in the second half.

“Coach just did a good job of, like he said, changing the look on your face, and I feel like first half, me personally, I was a little tight,” Jones said. “I just really, really, really wanted to win. I think that’s good, but you’ve got to find a way to channel it and have a clear mind.”

Tyler Kolek, in his first game back after missing six games with an oblique injury, put up a double-double of 18 points and 11 assists.

“Once I hit the floor, some obvious jitters because I haven’t played since three weeks now, but I think 37 minutes, most minutes in a game, so I thought I did all right with the wind,” he said.

Marquette then defeated 10th seeded Colorado Sunday, 81-77, with clutch performances coming from the entire team.

“We’re a resilent team,” Kolek said. “We’re able to put adversity on teams, and we’re able to respond when adversity comes on us. That’s a big thing to have, especially in March Madness, a single elimination tournament.”

Women’s Basketball Falls in the First Round

Head coach Megan Duffy still has not led Marquette to an NCAA Tournament win.

The No. 10 seed Golden Eagles fell 67-55 to No. 7 seed Ole Miss Saturday at Purcell Pavilion.

“Congratulations to Ole Miss. I thought they were tremendous in that fourth quarter, just relentless on their rebounding,” Duffy said. “But I can’t say enough about my team and their effort and their grit today and really across the whole season.”

Senior guard Rose Nkumu scored a career-high 18 points and senior forward Liza Karlen earned a double-double (19 points and 14 rebounds).
Now the Golden Eagles have a rebuild on their hands, with a possible four of five starters leaving the team.

Men’s lacrosse Completes Comeback

Marquette was able to end its five-game losing streak, beating St. Bonaventure 8-3 Saturday.

Devon Cowan scored his 98th goal in the win, which puts him two shy of being the third player in program history to reach the century goal mark.
Graduate student Caleb Creasor kept a tight hold on the net with 11 saves.

Women’s Lacrosse’s Homestand Ends in Defeat

Marquette was unable to go undefeated in its three-game homestand.

Friday, Hannah Greving’s six-point performance led the Golden Eagles to a 17-6 victory over Central Michigan.

“I thought we were able to build momentum and keep it throughout. Even when it was a closer game,” Marquette head coach Meredith Black said. “There was a long period of time where it was a two goal game, but we felt that we were in control in those moments, so that was great.”

Marquette was unable to keep its winning ways alive, falling to No. 2 Michigan 18-11 in its final non-conference game.

“This is the best preparation we could have playing against this team,” Black said. “So much to take from this game which was really great.”

Happening This Week:

Women’s lacrosse at UConn Saturday 11 a.m. CST at Joeseph J. Morrone Stadium. Follow @SofieHanrahanMU on Twitter/X for live updates and the game recap.
Men’s basketball vs. NC State Friday at American Airlines Center. Follow @JackAlbrightMU and @KristinParisiMU on Twitter/X for all on-site coverage.
Men’s lacrosse at St. John’s Saturday 10 a.m. CST at Belson Stadium. Follow @MatthewBaltzMU on Twitter/X for live updates and the game recap.