WBB will face No. 4 UConn at home on Wednesday

MILWAUKEE The Marquette women’s basketball team (15-8, 8-6 BIG EAST) is in midweek action against No. 4 UConn (21-3, 13-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The Golden Eagles and Huskies kick off at 7 p.m. (CT) from Milwaukee’s Al McGuire Center. The game will be broadcast by SNY, with Alan Bestwick (play-by-play), Meghan Culmo (analyst) and Maria Marino (sideline) on the call. A link to live stats is available at GoMarquette.com.

In the team’s most recent game on Saturday night, Marquette defeated Georgetown 66-49 at the Al McGuire Center. The Golden Eagles used great ball movement and effective defense to secure the win, recording 22 assists on 26 made baskets. In a game Marquette never trailed, King of Jordan led all scorers with 23 points, five assists and three boards.

The Huskies enter the week ranked No. 4 in the AP poll, with a 21-3 record and the league lead with a perfect 13-0 mark. UConn had won 14 straight before losing at home to South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, falling 81-77. Connecticut is 7-2 in road contests this year.

UConn is led by junior Aaliyah Edwards, a forward who is averaging a team-best 17.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Graduate forward Dorka Juhász leads the team on the glass with 10.2 rebounds per game, while junior guard Nika Mühl leads the NCAA with 8.6 assists per game.

Marquette and UConn have met 16 times in the series that began in 2006, and the Huskies have won each meeting. Connecticut won the first meeting between the teams this season at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, 61-48 on Dec. 31.

INTELLIGENCE OF THE HUSKIES

Connecticut enters Saturday’s contest ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll with a 21-3 record and a league-leading 13-0 record in conference play.

In the 2021-22 season, the Huskies were the NCAA Tournament runner-up after a 30-6 campaign and a 16-1 league record while winning the BIG EAST title.

All three of UConn’s losses this season (Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina) have come against teams currently ranked in the top 10.

UConn is 7-2 this season.

The team has been led by junior Aaliyah Edwards, a forward who is averaging a team-best 17.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Graduate forward Dorka Juhász leads the team on the glass with 10.2 rebounds per game, while junior guard Nika Mühl leads the NCAA with 8.6 assists per game.

The Huskies lead the NCAA in field goal percentage at 52.0 percent. They also ranked fourth in three-point percentage (40.2) and assists (19.9) and fifth in rebounding margin (11.0).

ALL TIME SERIES AGAINST UCONN

Saturday’s meeting is the 17th all-time series between Marquette and UConn, which began in 2006.

UConn has won all 16 games in the series.

The Huskies swept last year’s season series with wins in Milwaukee 72-58, Hartford 69-38 and in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals 71-51.

Last 5 meetings

DATE LOCATION RESULT POINT

31.12.22 AL 61-48

6.3.22. NL 51-71

23.2.22 AL 38-69

13.2.22 HL 58-72

8.3.21. NL 39-73

BEGINNING FIVE

The Golden Eagles are 48-22 against BIG EAST opponents under Coach Duffy.

Coach Duffy has the best four seasons as a coach in program history. He boasts an overall mark of 81-34 (.704) at Marquette.

The Golden Eagles are 68-3 at halftime under Coach Duffy and 52-8 when they turn the ball over the same or less often than their opponents.

MU is 45-4 when scoring more than 70 points under coach Duffy and 52-5 when shooting more free throws than the opposition.

In the 115 games of Coach Duffy’s era, the Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 92 times.

KING deserves weekly honors

After coming off a strong performance last week, Marquette guarded King of Jordan was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

The senior averaged a team-best 20.5 points for the week to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Against Georgetown, he had 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor, along with three boards and five assists.

This was King’s fourth Weekly Honor Roll appearance of the season and eighth of his career.

THE LAST TIME

Marquette got back into the win column Saturday night with a 66-49 win over Georgetown at the Al McGuire Center.

The Golden Eagles used great ball movement and an efficient offense to help secure the victory, posting 22 assists on 26 made baskets and locking things down on the other end of the court. MU held Georgetown to just 37.3 percent (22 of 59) shooting.

In a game Marquette never trailed, it used a strong shooting start to get ahead early and never looked back. MU’s lead increased to 23 points.

King of Jordan had strong scoring again, going 23 points out, five assists and three boards. He was joined by double figures Emily LaChapelle and Chloe Marottawho got 11 and 10 points.

EARLIER THIS SEASON

In the first meeting this season between Marquette and UConn, the Golden Eagles won 61-48 on December 31st at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.

After getting off to a slow offensive start and falling behind 9-0 early in the first quarter, Marquette found an offensive rhythm to get back into the contest. It was able to cut UConn’s lead to just six midway through the fourth quarter, but the Huskies closed out the game by shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) in the final quarter to secure the victory.

Liza Karlen led Marquette in the scoring and rebounding columns with 15 points and six boards. Emily LaChapelle (11) and Chloe Marotta (10) were each completed in two digits as well.

UConn was paced by Lou Lopez Senechal, who finished with 22 points.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

In recent years, the Al McGuire Center has gained a reputation as one of the toughest venues not only in the BIG EAST, but in the entire country.

The Golden Eagles are 10-2 at home this season and have won 28 of their last 333 AL games. Under the leadership of coach Duffy, MU has a home record of 44-10.

In its 10 home wins this year, Marquette has outscored opponents a combined 740-495 (74.0-49.5).

Opponents are averaging just 51.7 points per game at the Al McGuire Center this season, with only one opponent scoring more than 62 points. Marquette’s opponents at home are shooting just 36.9 percent (243-658) from the floor and are averaging 18.0 turnovers per game.

KIDS ARE OK

Freshman couple Emily LaChapelle and Mackenzie Hare have made a difference for Marquette this season, each making big contributions in their first varsity seasons.

La Chapell is a two-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and has made 11 starts at MU, while Hare is fourth on the team and third among league freshmen with 7.7 points per game. They are just the second Marquette freshman duo ever to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors in the same season.

With each playing less than 19 minutes per game, the duo is averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, ranking third and fourth on the team in 3-point percentage.

NEXT for MU

The Golden Eagles have a few days off before returning to the road next week to face Providence on Wednesday, February 15th. Tip-off is at 6pm (CT).

The game will be broadcast by the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoop, with a link to live stats and stream available at GoMarquette.com.