Marquette University Athletics
Women's Basketball Set for C-USA Tournament
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Click here for postseason media guide in PDF format.
Marquette claimed a victory over 20th-ranked DePaul to close out its Al McGuire Center record perfect and earn the no. 5 seed in the Conference USA Tournament, scheduled for March 4-7 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. Marquette takes on 12th-seed Tulane in the first round. The Golden Eagles defeated Tulane, 69-55, at home in January in this season?s meeting. MU takes on Tulane on Thursday, March 4 at 3 p.m.
The winner moves on to take on fourth-seed DePaul. That game is scheduled for Friday, March 5 at 3 p.m. Marquette takes its highest seed in five years into the Conference USA tournament. The Golden Eagles have never before been the no. 5 seed. The good news for Marquette is that the no. 5 seed has advanced to the C-USA title game each of the last three seasons and has lost only once in the first round in the eight-year history of the event.
The Conference USA Tournament
Marquette enters its ninth Conference USA Tournament. The Golden Eagles earned the fifth seed by defeating DePaul to move into a tie with Memphis. The Golden Eagles won the tie breaker with the Tigers by winning the regular season meeting, 60-57, last month.
Marquette has its highest seed since it was a no. 1 seed in 2000. The Golden Eagles will be playing in the first round for four-straight seasons. It is 2-1 in that span in the first round.
Marquette meets Tulane, the 12th seed in the first round. It has met the Green Wave twice in C-USA tournament Tournament history, splitting those contests. The winner meets DePaul in the quarterfinal round.
Marquette has never been a fifth seed in C-USA Tourney history before. It owns a 3-1 career mark in the first round and is 3-4 in the quarterfinal round.
On the Air: All Marquette games in the Conference USA Touranment can be over the internet at www.gomarquette.com. Kent Sommerfeld will call the action. The local radio broadcasts will be on WJYI 1340 AM. Should Marquette advance to the semifinals, the game will broadcast locally on WMLW Ch. 41 via the C-USA Network. Don Russell and Amy Prichard will handling the broadcasting duties. The C-USA Tournament championship will be carried on ESPN2 at 1 p.m.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 4 ? C-USA First Round
9) Cincinnati vs. 8) USF; 1 p.m.
12) Tulane vs. 5) Marquette; 3 p.m.
10) East Carolina vs. 7) Charlotte; 6 p.m.
11) UAB vs. 6) Memphis; 8 p.m.
Friday, March 5 ? C-USA Quarterfinals
Cincinnati/USF vs. 1) Houston; 1 p.m.
Tulane/Marquette vs. 4) DePaul; 3 p.m.
East Carolina/Charlotte vs. 2) TCU; 6 p.m.
UAB/Memphis vs. 3) Louisville; 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 - C-USA Semifinals (C-USA TV Network)
Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner; 1 p.m. Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner; 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 7 - C-USA Championship (ESPN2)
Semifinal winners; 1 p.m.
Going for 20
In the C-USA Tourney opener against Tulane, Marquette is aiming for its first 20-win season in four years. After starting her career with four-consecutive seasons of 20+ victories, Terri Mitchell has increased Marquette?s win percentage over each of the last three seasons, to the current 70.4 mark.
Spreading the Wealth
Danielle Kamm led Marquette scorers with 12 points in the Golden Eagles? 62-61 win against DePaul. However, five other players notched at least eight points (Kieger 11, Weaver 10, Schwerman 9, Shouse 8, Quaye 8). The team effort marked the second time this year that six players poured in at least eight points (Jan. 1 at Notre Dame).
Marquette Against the Best
Marquette?s 62-61 victory over #20/18 DePaul was the first of the season for the Golden Eagles, in four attempts (at DePaul, at TCU, at Houston) against teams ranked in either poll.
Deviously Close
The one-point victory over DePaul was Marquette?s closest of the year, win or lose. Overall, the Golden Eagles stand 2-3 in games decided by three points or fewer (0-2 in two-point games and 1-1 in three-point games).
Marquette stands 4-1 in games against the Blue Demons decided by three or fewer points. The only loss for Marquette in such games came on February 8, losing 61-59 at the DePaul Athletic Center.
Terri Mitchell now stands 2-4 in games decided by one point. Her other victory in a one-point game also came against DePaul, 63-62 on Dec. 28, 1997.
Finishing Strong
Marquette had a furious comeback against 21st-ranked Houston on Feb. 22. The Golden Eagles kept Houston without a field goal for the final 6:31 of the game. It was the second time this season that Marquette has closed strong defensively on a C-USA opponent. Marquette held USF scoreless for the final 6:37 of that matchup.
Keeping Ranked Teams in Check
While Marquette has held all but three of its opponents under its scoring average, what the Golden Eagles have done against nationally-ranked teams is above the call of duty. In Marquette?s first meeting with DePaul, ranked 15th at the time, Marquette limited the Blue Demons to 61 points, 29.9 points below average. The nation?s leading scoring team was averaging 90.9 points per game. Marquette limited 17th ranked TCU, an 80.2 per game team, to 56, 24.2 below average. Houston, ranked 21st, was the only one of the three teams to surpass its scoring average. Most recently, the Golden Eagles? held 20th-ranked DePaul to 61 points, 25 points below the Blue Demons? 86.8 average.
Shuttin? Down the Big Threat
Marquette has faced teams with dominating scorers and has done the job defensively to eliminate that threat. Eight times this season, Marquette has faced a player averaging 20 or more points per game. The Golden Eagles defense has held those players to an average of 15.0 points per game.
MU started off by holding Evansville?s Jamie Gray, a 25.0 points per game scorer, to 10. Oakland?s Jayme Wilson scored 20.0 per game, but Marquette allowed her just three points. Maine?s Heather Ernest scored just under 30 per game, but could only muster 12 against Marquette. Against Va. Commmonwealth, Marquette held 21.8 points per game scorer Cyndy Wilks to 13, keeping her scoreless at the half. SBU?s Stef Collins averaged 22.6 per game, and is just one of two 20+ scorers to meet or exceed her average, with 25 points against MU. DePaul?s Khara Smith entered the MU contest with a 20.1 points per game total and was limited to 15. Chandi Jones, a 21.1 per game scorer, bettered her average in the Houston contest with 26. Khara Smith of DePaul was again held below her average (21.3 ppg) by Marquette, scoring 16.
Kieger Sets the Pace Against SLU
A 16-point first half left guard Carolyn Kieger with a shot to have one of the highest scoring games for any Marquette player this season. She tied a career high with 23 points, tying her previous performance against St. Bonaventure for the second highest scoring output on the team this season. The double-digit total broke a string of six of seven games without 10 or more points. Kieger was contributing in that span, however, averaging 7.9 assists per game.
Freshmen Account for Bulk of MU Offense Against Memphis
The three Marquette freshmen have provided significant efforts all season, but for the first time this year, all three had big efforts. Against Memphis, Christina Quaye led the team with 15, Danielle Kamm scored 13 and Jasmine McCullough scored a career high eight. The trio combined 36 of Marquette?s 60 points.
Double Digits on the Glass
Senior forward Crystal Weaver grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds against DePaul and followed that up with 16 boards against Memphis. They were her fifth and sixth double-figure rebounding games of the year. She is Marquette?s top rebounder at 7.1 boards per game. She hit double-figures in rebounds four times last year. She currently has 11 career 10+ rebound games.
Golden Eagles First Half Leads Way for Win over Memphis
Marquette tied season highs for first half efforts in points and field goal percentage against Memphis. MU scored 41 points, tying the Oakland outing, and hit 15-of-26 shots (57.7 percent) matching that of the Columbia game.
Quaye Plays Beyond Her Years
Forward Christina Quaye played an exceptional game on both ends of the floor at DePaul. The freshman from Chicago was charged with shutting down the league?s second leading scorer. She held Khara Smith six points below her scoring average. On the offensive end, she had a career best 16 points.
Guarding the Glass
Guard Carolyn Kieger?s 11 rebounds at Charlotte tied her career high, and marked the third time this season that she has led or tied for the team lead on the glass. Backcourt mate Katie O?Grady has also occupied the top rebounding spot once this season, with eight against Oakland.
Double-Double Double-Double
With 11 points, and 10 rebounds, Crystal Weaver notched her third double-double of the season at East Carolina. Her other double-doubles came at Maine (Nov. 30), when she scored 10 points and gathered 11 rebounds and at East Carolina (Jan. 31) combined her 16 points with 11 boards. Weaver is Marquette?s active leader in career double-doubles with four, following two such performances last season. Weaver?s success inside directly relates to Marquette?s success. When she scores at least 10 points, Marquette is 6-1. When she grabs at least 10 boards, the Golden Eagles stand 5-2 on the season.
O?Grady Scores Double Figures off the Bench
Senior guard Katie O?Grady had scored in double-figures in three of the four contests prior to a six point effort against DePaul on Feb. 8. Over that stretch she averaged 12.3 ppg, and raised her season average to 9.1 ppg. She currently averages 8.4 points per game. Success coming off the bench is nothing new for O?Grady. She has led the bench in scoring in 15 of the 19 contests she has not started. Earlier in the season O?Grady rattled off a four-game streak of double figure scoring (10 at Toledo, 14 vs. Dayton, 11 at Notre Dame and 21 vs. Columbia). It was the second time in her career that she has had a string of three games with 10 or more points.
Can?t Stop Them
Against Southern Miss, Marquette hit its first seven shots, racing out to an 18-5 lead. MU scored a season high 76 points against the Golden Eagles.
Starters Strong
In the Southern Miss contest, Marquette had four starters score double figures. Three players ? Danielle Kamm, Carolyn Kieger and Kelly Schwerman ? each had 13 points while Christina Quaye added 11. It was the second time this season that four starters eclipsed the 10-point mark. That also happened in the Maine game (Schwerman 14, Quaye 12, Kieger 11 and Crystal Weaver 10). The Southern Miss game was the second of three-straight games with four players topping 10 points, however one came from a reserve. Against Tulane, Kamm and Quaye had 10 combined with Schwerman?s 13. Katie O?Grady had 17 off the bench. Against East Carolina (the last of the three games), Marquette was led by Schwerman and Weaver, each with 16 points, who were complemented by Kamm and O?Grady?s 12 points.
Climbing the Charts
With its 15-4 start, Marquette received one point in the January 27 national rankings compiled by the WBCA, ESPN and USA Today. That total increased to seven points for the February 3 poll. While MU lost its votes in the coaches? poll, it picked up four points in the February 10 Associated Press poll and increased that margin to six in the February 17 poll. The last time Marquette received mention in either national poll was in the Feb. 11, 2003 poll. MU received two points. The last time Marquette was ranked in either poll was on Feb. 28, 2000 when it was ranked 24th in both polls. It was ranked for three consecutive weeks at that point, the only three weeks it has been ranked.
Cheaper by the Dozen
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman scored 14 points on 1-of-4 shooting against Tulane. That?s because she shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe, the second best free throw shooting performance in program history (Kerri Reaves, 14-14 vs. Dayton on Feb. 5, 1994), and the third-best in Conference USA history. Of Schwerman?s 12 makes, six came in the final five minutes, improving her percentage in those clutch situations to 92.3 percent at the time.
Double Time
Freshman Danielle Kamm notched the first double-double of her career, with 10 points and 12 rebounds (including six offensive) against Tulane. The 12 rebounds represents her second-best collegiate performance on the glass (13 vs. St. Bonaventure). Kamm became the fourth Golden Eagle to have a double-double this season (Kieger, Quaye and Weaver).
Charitable Contributions
After making a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the first half against Tulane, the Golden Eagles sacrificed quality for quantity. The second half saw Marquette make 18-of-24. The 18 made shots from the stripe represented the then-most made free throws in a half for Marquette this year. That marked was topped by a 19-of-22 second half exhibition at East Carolina. Marquette is 17-0 when shooting more free throws then its opponent, and 9-1 when shooting 75.0 percent or better.
Always Willing to Help Out Others
Guard Carolyn Kieger set career highs in assists in back-to-back contests. She hit the 10 assist mark for the first time in her career, recording that total in a 60-40 win against USF on January 16. She recorded her first double-double of the season as a result, adding 12 points to that effort. She did one better in the next contest on January 18 against UAB. She had 11 in that outing, setting a new career standard. She is currently second in Conference USA with 5.7 assists per game and leads the league in C-USA games only at 6.7 per game.
In the National Rankings
Marquette ranks in the top 20 in one team category in the NCAA Division I rankings. The Golden Eagles have the 19th best scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to 57.2 points per game. Individually, Carolyn Kieger is in the top 30 in assists per game. She is in 27th with 5.7.
Home Sweet Home
The move to the Al McGuire Center has been beneficial for Marquette. The Golden Eagles rattled off wins in its first eight games, extending its home win streak to 11 games. Marquette last won 11 games in a row at home in the 2001-02 season, when it ran the table, winning all 13 home games.
Strong Finish
Marquette used a 17-0 run against USF to take a three-point advantage and turn it into a 20-point victory. Marquette held the Bulls scoreless for the last 6:38 of the contest. In that time, MU forced five missed shots and five turnovers. The 17-0 run was the then-largest for Marquette this season. Only Marquette?s 18-0 run against DePaul has been better.
Shouse?s House
Against UAB, the inside belonged to center Sarah Shouse. The 6-foot-5 center set a career high with four blocks. With two blocks against Tulane, Shouse closed the gap on Crystal Weaver as the active Marquette blocks leader. She has since passed Weaver, leading by one block.
When 1 Equals 2
In its first three games in the Al McGuire Center, Marquette had matching first and second half scoring totals. Against Columbia, Marquette scored 38 points in each half, winning 76-42. In a 62-54 win over Cincinnati, MU scored 31 points in each period. With 36 points in each half, Marquette downed Louisville, 72-58. The symmetrical streak was broken when the Golden Eagles could only muster 31 points in the second half against Tulane, after scoring 38 in the opening frame. However, MU pulled off the feat again, posting two 38-point halves in a 76-54 win against Southern Miss. On February 15, Saint Louis pulled the feat, scoring 25 points in both halves in a 73-50 losing effort.
Kamm Comes of Age
Freshman forward Danielle Kamm set a career best with 14 points against Louisville, breaking her previous high of 12 set at Toledo. Kamm hit 5-of-11 shots and also grabbed seven boards. Against UAB, Kamm scored 11 points. She had a string of six games in a row with double figures in scoring, which ended with a four-point effort against Saint Louis.
Tough Losses
With just eight losses on the year, the Marquette season has been successful. However, the Golden Eagles are a mere handful of points away from being undefeated. In its eight losses, Marquette has lost by a total of 44 points, a 5.5 points per loss deficit.
Bench Gets into the Act
The Marquette bench scored a season-best 28 points against Saint Louis, led by 15 from Katie O?Grady. It was MU?s third performance of 27 bench points or more. The Golden Eagles scored 27 points against Columbia, led by eight from Efueko Osagie. MU also threw in 27 points off the pine against Louisville. O?Grady had 15 points and Sarah Shouse had 10. Against Southern Miss, Marquette had 26 bench points and against Iowa, the Marquette bench scored 23 points. All but one player found the scoring column in the Iowa game. Marquette is averaging 17.6 points per game (475 points) off the bench this season. Christina Quaye has the highest point total off the bench this season with an 18 point game against Wis.-Milwaukee. She was the only bench player to score in that contest.
Perimeter Pressure
The Golden Eagle defense came out flying against Cincinnati. The frenetic pressure helped limit the Bearcats to 9.5 percent shooting from the three-point line (2-of-21). That marks the best three-point percentage defensive performance for Marquette since holding Tulane to 4.3 percent (1-of-23) on January 27, 2002.
Taking Care of the Glass
Heading into its matchup with Virginia Commonwealth, Marquette had outrebounded its opponent just once on the year. VCU came in averaging over 41 rebounds per game, but MU held the Rams to 34 boards and grabbed 41 of their own. Marquette had five players grab five boards or more during the contest. That was the first time since MU?s first-round WNIT win against Toledo that it accomplished such a feat. Since the VCU contest, MU has owned a rebound advantage in 14-of-18 contests, including a plus-22 advantage at Charlotte. Marquette has nabbed 40+ rebounds in nine games this season, and has grabbed 50+ boards three times, going 1-2 in those contests. Marquette?s season-best performance was 56 boards in a 73-49 win against Oakland. It also grabbed 50 boards in a 63-65 overtime loss against UAB, and 54 boards in its 56-59 loss at Charlotte.
Golden Eagles Win at the Buzzer
Marquette has made a habit of playing games decided on the last shot, whether it be theirs or the opponents. The Golden Eagles had a nail-biter of a contest at Wis.-Milwaukee. The game ended with a score of 58-55, however UWM had two shots to tie. After a first shot miss, UWM?s second effort came with under a second remaining, but it had no chance to find the bottom of the net. Senior guard Kelly Schwerman recorded her fifth block of the season, and her biggest block of the year, swatting away the triple try at the buzzer. MU played consecutive games with shots to tie or win in the final shot. The Golden Eagles tries against both Charlotte and DePaul came up short. Against Memphis, MU had two three point leads in the final minutes and kept the Tigers from making three pointers to tie. In the regular season finale, Marquette ussed a free throw by Kelly Schwerman to take a one-point lead with 14 second remaining. DePaul?s last second-effort by Charlene Smith came up empty, when Christina Quaye drew an offensive foul with .4 seconds left.
Quaye Dominates When Coming off the Bench
Freshman forward Christina Quaye proved that she can be a capable player off the Marquette bench. Playing the second most minutes of her career, Quaye saw 28 minutes of action against Wis.-Milwaukee. She scored 18 points, all of MU?s points off the bench, and had 10 rebounds. It was her first career double-double, Marquette?s second double-double of the year, and the point and rebound totals were collegiate bests.
That?s Offensive
Marquette grabbed 21 offensive boards against Wis.-Milwaukee and converted those into 23 second-chance points. It was the second time that MU had more than 20 offensive boards in a game this season. MU had 22 offensive caroms and 27 second chance points against Evansville. Marquette has had 18 or more offensive boards eight times this season.
The Al McGuire Center Debuts
The waiting game finally paid off. Marquette had the opportunity to play at the Al McGuire Center for the first time, defeating Columbia, 76-42, in front of 1,788 on January 4, 2004. Kelly Schwerman scored the first competitive points in the building, hitting a three-point goal seven seconds into the contest. Senior guard Katie O?Grady scored 21 points to lead the way for MU.
O?Grady Rolls in Non-Conference Stretch
For the first time in her career, senior guard Katie O?Grady scored double figures in four consecutive games. She tossed in 21 points against Columbia to finalize the string. She scored 10 against Toledo, 14 against Dayton and 11 against Notre Dame to average 14.0 points per game in the stretch. As a result, she increased her scoring average from 6.0 per game to 8.7. Her average currently rests at 8.6 ppg.
Osagie Sets Career Bests Against Columbia
Sophomore forward Efueko Osagie had a big game on both ends of the court against Columbia. Playing a season high 17 minutes, she scored a career best eight points and recorded six steals. The six steals were the most for a Marquette player this season.
Everyone Gets Into the Act Against Columbia
All 13 Marquette players saw action in the first game at the Al McGuire Center, as Marquette defeated Columbia, 76-42. In the contest, only three players did not score and only one did not grab a rebound.
Shouse Earns first Start and Sets Career High in Points
Sophomore center Sarah Shouse was placed in the starting lineup against Notre Dame. It was the first time she?s been on the court at the opening tip. Shouse responded to the starting nod by scoring a career high 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 from the line.
Up at the Half
Through 12 games this season, Marquette had not trailed at the half. In game 13, it was down 10 to Wis.-Milwaukee at the break, its first deficit at halftime. In those 12 games, Marquette held the lead or was tied at the halftime break. The Golden Eagles were knotted up with St. Bonaventure at the midway point. Through 27 games this season, Marquette has trailed at the intermission just four times.
Multiple Career Highs Set or Tied Against Dayton
Three Marquette players tied or set career highs against Dayton. Senior guard Kelly Schwerman perhaps had the biggest impact against the Flyers. She bettered her career scoring high by five, tossing in 25 points in the win. Schwerman hit five three pointers in the win. Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger tied her career high with nine assists, a mark she has on two previous occasions. Senior forward Crystal Weaver tied her rebounding mark for the third time in her career, grabbing 11.
Golden Eagles Clutch Down the Stretch
While many of Marquette?s victories are the double-digit variety, the Golden Eagles are good at pulling away from teams down the stretch. Wins over Maine, VCU, Wagner, Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, USF, Tulane and East Carolina have been by an average of 12.7 points. In all, the Golden Eagles had their lead cut to eight or less with seven minutes or less before a furious finish by Marquette. In the Golden Eagles match-up against USF, Marquette outscored the Bulls 17-0 over the last 6:38, pulling away from a 43-40 lead for the 20-point win.
Schwerman Becomes MU?s Best All-Time Free Throw Shooter
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman moved into first place on Marquette?s all-time free throw shooting list. Oddly enough, Schwerman did it following an 0-1 free throw performance against Toledo. A career 81.7 percent free throw shooter at the time she set the record, Schwerman?s miss was her 175th career attempt, the minimum number needed to qualify for Marquette?s career list. Schwerman?s totals have been above 80 percent for her entire career, setting her career up with an 88.9 shooting percent as a freshman. She is currently a career 83.3 percent free throw shooter.
Kamm Has Big Week against SBU, Toledo
Freshman forward Danielle Kamm had the most successful rebounding game of any Marquette player this season against St. Bonaventure. She grabbed 13 boards, seven of which were offensive. Thanks to the rebounding windfall, Kamm increased her rebounding average by nearly a full rebound per game to 5.5, second best on the team.
Two nights later, Kamm had a successful offensive game, scoring a career best 12 points in the Golden Eagles? eight point win over Toledo. Her scoring average increased to 7.2 as a result.
O?Grady Earned First Start
Senior guard Katie O?Grady has been an on again, off again starter for her entire career. She earned five starts as a freshman, three as a sophomore and 13 as a junior. O?Grady was placed in the starting lineup against Toledo and she responded with 10 points. She returned to a reserve role against Dayton, but racked up a then-season high 14 points in the win. On the season, O?Grady has four starts, most recently on Feb. 29, a 62-61 win over DePaul.
Kieger Ties Career High Against St. Bonaventure
Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger scored 23 points against St. Bonaventure, to tie her career high set in an overtime loss to Southern Miss last season. Kieger scored 16 of her 23 points in the first half, the best first half total by an MU player this year. Kieger was also perfect from behind the arc, hitting all four three point attempts.
Schwerman Moves into Top Five of Threes Made
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman hit five three-point field goals against Dayton to raise her career total to 121 (she?s currently at 149 threes made). That total passed her former teammate Heidi Bowman for the fifth spot. Bowman hit 119 in her career. Lori Goerlitz is the all-time Marquette leader with 223. Schwerman is in the top five of career three-point percentage, sitting third with 35.7 of her career three attempts made. Schwerman?s next target on the list is Courtney Romeiser, who hit 152 threes in her career which spanned from 1990-93.
Turnovers Convert to Two Points
Marquette has forced its opponents to 18.4 turnovers per game. What Marquette has done with those is equally impressive. The Golden Eagles have 499 points off turnovers (18.5 points per game) and have 30 or more points off turnovers three times this season. Marquette had 31 against Wagner and 30 against Evansville and Columbia.
Collective Defensive Effort
Marquette has recorded 262 steals on the season, but no single player has stood out amongst the thieves. Seven players have 20 or more and two have more than 40. Of the 11 steals against Virginia Commonwealth, eight different players had a swipe. Five times this season have seven or more players recorded at least one steal. Kelly Schwerman became the first MU player since late last season to have five or more steals in a game when she swiped five balls from Iowa. Katie O?Grady matched that mark with five thefts at Notre Dame. Schwerman and O?Grady were both topped by Efueko Osagie, who recorded six steals against Columbia.
Protecting the Rock
Marquette turned the ball over a season-low eight times against Wagner. Marquette didn?t have a game in 2002-03 with fewer than 10 turnovers. The last time Marquette had eight or fewer turnovers in a game was on January 25, 2002, when it defeated Southern Miss, 68-59.
Schwerman Finds Her Way
After a 13-for-41 start to the season, senior guard Kelly Schwerman found her accuracy against Iowa. Schwerman, Marquette?s leading scorer with 12.1 points per game, connected on 6-of-13 from the field to raise her season total to 35.2 percent. She was 4-of-9 from three-point range, raising her season average to 37.8. She is currently a 39.9 percent field goal shooter and a 33.5 percent three point shooter.
Can?t Keep it Away From Them
Against Iowa, Marquette had a nose for the ball. The Golden Eagles forced 27 turnovers. Schwerman became the first player since late last season to have five or more steals in a game. She swiped five Iowa turnovers. Four players had two or more steals against the Hawkeyes.
Off to a Hot Start
Marquette was 6-1 for the second time in school history. Marquette was also 6-1 in the 1999-2000. In the 1999-2000 season, Marquette won seven games before losing a second time.
MU was 4-0 earlier this season, tying the school record for victories at the beginning of the year. Marquette started 4-0 in the 1979-1980 season before obtaining its first loss.
MU?s 8-2 start matches the best 10-game beginning since the 1999-2000 season. In 15 game starts, MU only had only one better record, a 13-2, in the 1997-98 season. That year, it?s third loss came after 17 wins.
Marquette Duo Earns All-Tournament
Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger and freshman forward Christina Quaye were named to the Dead River Company Classic All-Tournament Team following Marquette?s two-game sweep and tournament title. Kieger scored a season-high 20 against Oakland and added 11 in the win over Maine to earn MVP honors. Quaye scored nine and 12 points, respectively, as she provided a solid performance in the middle.
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman was honored with the Walter Hunt Award at the pre-tournament banquet for being the most outstanding student amongst the four teams participating. Schwerman owns a 3.97 GPA and is a finance and accounting major.
Golden Eagles Win Second-Straight Regular-Season Tournament
MU?s win in the Dead River Company Classic provided its second-straight regular-season tournament win. Marquette claimed the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Invitational tournament crown last season. Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger was the MVP of that tournament, as well as claiming that title for two straight tournaments.
Marquette now owns a 61-69 tournament record, including post-season contests. In all, it has claimed tournament titles in seven tournaments.
Defense Strong in Dead River Classic
The Marquette defense turned it up a notch in claiming wins over Oakland and Maine in the Dead River Company Classic. MU held Oakland to a 27.3 percent shooting outing, tied for the 17th lowest shooting performance by an opponent in the Terri Mitchell era. MU stifled Maine with a 31.5 percent shooting day. Marquette is holding its opponents to 37.8 percent shooting this season.
Kieger Competent In Oakland Contest
Guard Carolyn Kieger had her third straight double-figure scoring outing in as many games with 20 points against Oakland. She hit 7-of-12 on the day to become the first MU player this season to hit the 20-point mark.
Quaye Not Quiet Against Evansville
It took just two games for a Marquette freshman to make a considerable impact on a game. Forward Christina Quaye scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in MU?s win over Evansville, 71-55. She scored 11 of those 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the contest.
Fres
