Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Georgia State
Women's Basketball Wins Atlanta Invitational Championship
12/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
ATLANTA - Marquette scraped in the second overtime session behind eight points in the last five minutes from senior Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) to pull out a 79-75 win in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Invitational.
Marquette led by as many as 20 midway through the second half before Georgia State went on a 15-2 run to cut the MU lead to seven. The Lady Panthers fought back behind the play of Patechia Hartman, who scored 19 points, 14 in the second half.
Each team scored eight in the first overtime before Klug took over for MU (3-2). She scored the Golden Eagles' first four baskets in the overtime session. A three pointer by Kelly Schwerman (Waukesha, Wis.) with 45 seconds left in the second OT extended the MU lead to three with Georgia State (2-3) facing its final possession.
"Georgia State did a great job of shutting us down at times with their inside defense," Mitchell said. "But when we were focused on getting the ball to Rachel, she stepped up like a senior knows how to do."
Klug led MU with 20 points, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. She was joined by freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) who scored 16 to earn tournament MVP honors. The win was Marquette's first ever win in a double overtime contest.
"The MVP is a great accomplisment for Carolyn," Mitchell added. "Winning the tournament means more to her. This did a lot for her in gaining confidence for the rest of the season."
In the early portion of the first half, both teams played even. MU extended to a seven point after a three-point play by Alsdurf. Georgia State came back keyed by Evita Rogers, who scored 11 in the first half. The Panthers tied the score at 20 with 5:07 to play.
MU closed the period with a 14-0 run to end the half up 34-20. The run was enhanced by a fast break basket by Kieger, who scored six in the half. Sophomore forward Lesley Juedes (Ripon, Wis.) led Kieger who made a spin move at the basket for the transition points.
MU was led in the first half by sophomore forward Katie Alsdurf (Forest Lake, Minn.) who scored eight points. The Golden Eagle defense was solid in the first 20 minutes, holding the Lady Panthers to a 21.9 percent field goal percentage in the half.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Monday, Dec. 15 at La Salle at 7 p.m. (EST).
