Marquette University Athletics
Women' Basketball turns in defensive gem, beats Cincinnati
1/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Recap | Box Score | Quotes
Recap and box score in PDF format.
MILWAUKEE ? On the heels of one of the program?s best non-conference campaigns, the Marquette women?s basketball team began its Conference USA schedule on the right foot, topping Cincinnati 62-54 before 1,489 fans at the Al McGuire Center. Marquette (11-3, 1-0 C-USA) used aggressive perimeter defense and timely shooting to hold off the Bearcats (9-6, 0-1).
Marquette?s defensive intensity was prevalent in the first half, as the Golden Eagles limited Cincinnati to 22 points on 8-of-29 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-15 from beyond-the-arc.
"I think this was a great way for us to start conference play,? head coach Terri Mitchell said. ?Obviously Cincinnati is one of the top teams in the conference. We had to rely on our defense. We kept preaching to play tough defense, and the offense will eventually come."
Golden Eagle hustle made up for a decided height advantage for Cincinnati in the first half, as Marquette out-rebounded the Bearcats 21-to-19 and blocked four Bearcat shots, compared to just one block for Cincinnati in the first half. Carolyn Kieger and Efueko Osagie led the way offesnively for the Golden Eagles in first frame, each with seven points. Osagie led a strong inside presence for Marquette, as the Golden Eagles outscored Cincinnati 20- to-8 in the paint in the first half.
The second half, however, saw the Bearcats control the middle, as Debbie Merrill scored 19 of her game-high 26 points in the half. That helped Cincinnati win the half in the paint, outscoring Marquette 18-10. Merrill?s inside presence was not enough to free up Cincinnati?s leading scorer Valerie King, who was held to four points on 1-of-11 shooting.
"That?s the reason Deebbie Merrill and Valerie King were chosen first team all conference. We look at them as a package. Merrill got her points, but we were able to stop King. If both of them had put up good numbers we know we would have had a tough game."
After starting the game 9-of-22 from the free throw line, Marquette made 8-of-10 over the last five minutes to pull out a 62-54 win. Cincinnati had come back from a 31-22 halftime deficit to tie the game twice in the second half, the last time at 5:10. From there Marquette would go on a 16-8 run to put the game out of reach.
Kelly Schwerman led Marquette with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a clutch three pointer at the 2:22 mark to put Marquette up by eight, from which Cincinnati did not recover.
The rest of the Marquette backcourt did well to handle the Cincinnati press and hold King in check. Carolyn Kieger added 11 points and six assists, and Katie O?Grady came up with clutch plays at the end of each half. A buzzer- beating eight foot putback at the half staked Marquette to a 31-22 halftime lead, and her rebound of Debbie Merrill?s miss with eight seconds left allowed Marquette to run out most of the rest of the clock.
Marquette is back in action on Sunday, when they host Louisville at 1 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center. The game can also be seen on the Conference USA Television Network (WMLW Ch.-41 and FOX Sports North in Milwaukee). Chek your local listings for details.
