Marquette University Athletics
Women's Basketball Loses 64-56 to Virginia
2/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2006
MILWAUKEE - Despite a strong second half push, cutting a pair of 14-point leads to just six, Marquette had its eight-game win streak snapped tonight, 64-56, to Virginia at the Al McGuire Center tonight.
Junior center Christina Quaye led all scorers with 17 points. Virginia's Tiffany Sardin scored 14 to lead the Cavaliers. Lyndra Littles grabbed 14 boards for UVa.
Marquette had several opportunities to lower its six-point deficit late, but could not make a final game-ending run. Down 59-53 with 2:20 to play, Marquette went 1-for-8 to end the game.
"I thought we played much better in the second half, but we missed bunnies, shots our players would normally make, late in the game," head coach Terri Mitchell said. "These things happen. It's not the end of the world. You just change your focus and get ready for the next game. Like with a win, you have to forget about it and move on to the next game. You have to do the same with a loss like this."
Marquette initially had three shots, but a three pointer by junior Danielle Kamm rattled out. After Marquette got the ball back on a steal, two more shots - one by Quaye and one by Kamm - were unsuccessful.
After a miss free throw by Virginia's Littles, sophomore Svetlana Kovalenko missed a three with just over a minute that would have again made it a one-possession ballgame.
Sharnee Zoll missed a 10 footer on the next possession. MU rebounded and Kieger missed a three in transition and the UVa lead remained six.
A long three pointer by Brenna McGuire early in the second half gave Virginia a 14 point lead, 49-34. McGuire, the granddaughter of former MU men's basketball coach Al McGuire, scored seven points in the building named after her grandfather.
Marquette continued to battle back with good shooting and timely defense to open the second half. An 18-foot jumper by Svetlana Kovalenko at 8:29 got Marquette back to within six, 55-49.
"I thought they did a nice job defending us, but we weren't hitting our shots. When you miss shots and they respond with baskets on the other end, the lead evaporates quickly," Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said.
Virginia's Takisha Granberry hit a three point shot to open the game and the Cavaliers never trailed. Marquette pulled to within two points on a Kieger layup at 14:06 in the first half, trailing 11-9.
A layup by Tiffany Sardin with 1:37 left in the half gave UVa a 14 point lead, its largest of the half and two of her 10 points. Granberry led all scorers by halftime with 11. MU was led by Quaye and Kieger, who each had seven by the break.
"I thought we played much better in the second half," Kieger said. "But one of the things we talked about after the game was that we had to put two halves together. In the BIG EAST, we know that we are going to have to play a whole game to be successful.
Marquette ends its non-conference slate with a 9-2 mark and begins its BIG EAST schedule in earnest on Saturday, hosting No. 13 DePaul at 7 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center.
