Marquette University Athletics
Fifth-seed Marquette Defeats Tulane, 61-44
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Recap and box score in PDF format.
FORT WORTH, Texas ? Fifth-seeded Marquette led from wire-to-wire in defeating No. 12 seed Tulane in the opening game of the 2004 Conference USA Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, 61-44. The Golden Eagles advance to a third meeting with DePaul in the quarterfinal round on Friday.
Katie O?Grady scored all of her team-high 12 points in the first half as the Golden Eagles took a 29-16 lead at the intermission. Christina Quaye added 11 points as Marquette overcame a poor shooting night (36 percent) by holding Tulane to 28 percent shooting from the field.
The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Green Wave, 54-36, with Carolyn Kieger and Efueko Osagie each pulling down eight boards. The 54 rebounds are the second-highest total by Marquette this season.
"I have a lot of respect for Tulane and their tradition,? head coach Terri Mitchell said. ?We didn't look at their record. We relied on our defense. We focused on defense and rebounding and that was able to give us the edge we needed."
Tulane was paced in scoring by D?Aundra Henry with 13 points and Lakethia Hampton with 12. Hampton also tied for the team high with six rebounds. The Green Wave close out the 2003-04 season at 10-18, ending a nine-year run of trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Marquette (20-8) and DePaul split in its first two meetings this season, with each winning on their home court in the final seconds. The Golden Eagles are seeking their first trip to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament since 1999.
"We're excited to play DePaul again,? Kieger said. ?We know each other so well. I know we will be ready."
GAME NOTES:
The victory was the 20th of the season Marquette, marking the first time that they have reached the 20-win mark since the 1999-00 season?.This is the first time in the nine-year history of the Conference USA Tournament that Tulane will not play a quarterfinal game. It was just the third time that the Green Wave failed to win at least one game at the C-USA Tournament?.The 44 points allowed by Marquette was its third-lowest total this season.
