Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Opens BIG EAST Play Hosting USF Saturday
1/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2009
MILWAUKEE -
The Marquette women's basketball team will open its fourth season of BIG EAST Conference play Saturday night against the University of South Florida (USF) at the Al McGuire Center. The 7 p.m. tip-off can be seen live on Time Warner Sports 32 with Kareeda Chones-Aguam and Steve "The Homer" True calling all of the action. It can also be heard via the airwaves on WJYI 1340 AM with Kent Sommerfeld and Tony Matera on the call.
The long-time foes will meet for the 16th time with the Golden Eagles holding the series advantage, 13-2. It will be the second consecutive season the Golden Eagles and the Bulls share home-and-home games. Marquette is 2-2 since the two teams joined the BIG EAST for the 2005-06 season. Last season, Marquette went 1-1 with USF. The Golden Eagles earned a 79-66 win in Tampa, but dropped a 61-56 decision in the two team's regular-season finale. USF and Marquette were members of Conference USA from 1995-2005.
The Golden Eagles are 8-4 overall in conference openers under head coach Terri Mitchell, and 8-2 in home conference openers. Marquette has won its last five conference lid-lifters. In its last three BIG EAST openers, Marquette defeated Providence, 72-43 on Jan. 5, 2008, West Virginia, 74-50 on Dec. 6, 2007, and St. John's, 60-57, on Dec. 6, 2006. All four of those wins have been at the Al McGuire Center.
Marquette is 29-19 in two seasons of BIG EAST play. The Golden Eagles shared eighth place with DePaul for the 2007-08 season with a 8-8 league mark.
Marquette was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, while USF was picked to finish 12th. All 16 teams will compete in the BIG EAST Tournament to be held March 6-10 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
USF (13-1) has won nine straight games and boasts the nation's most high-powered offense, averaging 93.0 points per game while holding opponents to a mere 56.0.The Bulls only loss this season came at the hands of the then-No. 3/4 California Golden Bears at the Paradise Jam.
Shantia Grace leads the team in the scoring column with 16.8 points per outing while Jazmine Sepulveda and Janae Stokes are averaging 14.9 points and 14.5 points per game respectively.
