The Marquette Golden Eagles (6-2) routed the Illinois State Redbirds (5-4) 78-57 at the Al McGuire Center Sunday afternoon, extending their win streak to six games.
Marquette was firing on all cylinders, finishing +17 in the rebound margin and had three players score in double figures (Lee Volker, Skylar Forbes and Olivia Porter).
“I am very impressed with how this team responds,” head coach Cara Consuegra said. “It’s easy to look at six straight wins and think its just been easy going. For us as an inexperienced team, it’s teaching them through winning what the standard is.”
Super Skylar
Sophomore forward Skylar Forbes is coming off back-to-back Big East honors and strengthened her campaign for a third consecutive award with her first career double-double.
She led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three made triples on six attempts.
For Forbes, it comes down to staying disciplined.
“Coach emphasizes staying the course and pounding the stone, and I think that as long as our team is buying into our roles, I wouldn’t be able to get honor rolls without them,” Forbes said.
Consuegra said that Forbes has become a Swiss army knife for the team.
“I know she’s going to score because she’s so talented in that area in multiple ways, but what has impressed me the most is her rebounding and defense,” Consuegra said. “I think that’s made a really big difference for us.”
Cleaning the Glass
Marquette has out-rebounded its opponent in all six of its wins this season, including the win today against Illinois State.
The Golden Eagles created 13 second-chance point opportunities, while also having 11 more defensive rebounds than the Redbirds.
Consuegra said the team has embodied rebounding the basketball, especially since the 14-board swing in its rebound margin after the Battle on the Banks.
“Our kids really believe in [rebounding the basketball],” Consuegra said. “We’ve said that our team identity is ‘we defend,’ well, now our second identity is that ‘we rebound.'”
Consuegra’s squad has out-rebound it’s opponents by 15 boards-a-game during it’s six game win streak.
Sharing the rock
Marquette assisted on 24-of its-33 field goals, including a career-high tying seven assists from Porter.
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native also contributed 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting.
“She is the ultimate playmaker,” Consuegra said on her point guard. “I brought her here because I know that she can run the offense and she knows what I want and how I want it. She did a really good job of playing under control and finding the right place.”
Senior guard Lee Volker also dished five assists for Marquette, adding 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting and two steals.
Consuegra said Volker has fit the mold of the player she wants her to be.
“She’s done exactly what we’ve wanted her to do,” Consuegra said. “She stuffs the stat sheet consistently, and does a lot of things that don’t even show up in the stat sheet, from her defense and her presence and her leadership.”
Up Next
Marquette has a week off before hosting in-city rival University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-8, 0-2 Horizon) at the Al McGuire Center on Sunday, December 15th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.
This story was written by Trevor Hilson. He can be reached at [email protected] or @hilsontrevor on Twitter/X.
