After its first loss of the season Tuesday to Minnesota, Marquette women’s basketball (3-1) came home to the Al McGuire Center seeking redemption against Bowling Green (1-3).
The Golden Eagles had never won against The Falcons in their two meetings, both games being lost by a mere two points. Friday night, Marquette won not just by two points, but 16, 71-55.
That scoreline came courtesy of a strong third period performance that brought Marquette from ahead two at half to ahead by 12 after 10 more minutes of play. The Golden Eagles shot 8-for-13 (61.5%) overall and 2-for-4 (50%) from beyond the arc, holding the Falcons to only 12 points while scoring 22 themselves.
“Tuesday was a very uncharacteristic loss for us, we washed that really quick,” Marquette head coach Cara Consuegra said. “We can’t change it, but it could become a positive if we learn from it and we did that today.”
Marquette began the cleansing with a 6-0 run to start the game, led by a jumper from graduate student guard Lee Volker and four points off the board from junior guard Halle Vice.
The Falcons came back within one possession, until Volker drained two 3-pointers, making it 12-6. On the night, she went 3-for-5 (60%) from deep and 64% (9-for-14) from the field for her game-most 23 points, one away from her career-high in the blue & gold.
Bowling Green would put up a fight to defend its unbeaten record against Marquette, opening the second period scoring on three-straight possessions, while Skylar Forbes missed three straight shots.
Down 16-15, it was junior Halle Vice again to take back the lead for Marquette. Her impact down low was crucial for Marquette, and the 6-foot-1 guard went 8-for-10 from the floor and finishing second in scoring on the team with 18 points.
While it seemed like the Volker and Vice show, as they contributed over half of the blue & gold’s points, it was a team effort. The Golden Eagles set new season highs in assists (24) blocks (9) steals (10) and rebounds (33), and four different players finished in double-digit scoring.
“We had so many different weapons,” Consuegra said. “We all play off each other and I think that’s what makes us so dangerous.”
Then came the dominant, game-opening third quarter, in which Marquette used a 9-0 run to lead 51-39, holding Bowling Green scoreless for the final 2:37 en route to their first double-digit advantage of the night.
And the Golden Eagles completely washed themselves of their Golden Gophers loss in the final quarter, closing the game on a 15-4 run. In what was an already dominant shooting night for Marquette (57%-32%), it kept on that path going 8-for-12 (66.7%) and holding Bowling Green to 3-for-12 (25%).
Overall in the second half, the Golden Eagles shot 64% to the Falcons’ 28.6%, while scoring 14 more points and dishing 10 more assists.
Still unbeaten at home, Marquette heads on the road for a crosstown rivalry at Milwaukee Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
This story was written by Sofie Hanrahan. She can be reached @[email protected] or on X @SofieHanrahanMU.
