Pachko Powers MU To 63-32 Win Over Canisius

Dec. 21, 2009

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MILWAUKEE -- Monday's non-conference women's basketball game at the Al McGuire Center was over nearly as soon as it began as Marquette University cruised to a 63-32 win over Canisius.

A 3-pointer by Micayla Drysdale was the only basket the Golden Eagles' allowed during their 25-3 game-opening run as head coach Terri Mitchell's squad was dominant for the first 14 minutes of the first half.

Drysdale's bucket at the 18:32 mark gave the Golden Griffins their only lead of the contest at 3-2. Canisius, which went on to miss its next 17 field goal attempts, did not score again until five minutes remaining in the half.

A 3-pointer by Ellie Radke ended the scoreless streak for Canisius, which closed the first half with four more 3-pointers, and the Golden Griffins were able to cut the MU lead to single digits, 27-18, by halftime thanks to a 15-2 run of their own.

Marquette opened the second half with a 10-0 run to extend its lead back to 37-18 and wouldn't let the Golden Griffins back into the game led by a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds by sophomore forward Jessica Pachko, who notched her first double-double of the season and second of her career.

While the Golden Eagles' offense struggled at times, Pachko's presence in the post was nearly unstoppable and full-court pressure by the Marquette defense helped force 26 Canisius turnovers, leading to easy baskets on the other end of the floor.

MU out-scored Canisius 32-6 in the paint and 18-7 in transition. In addition, the Golden Eagles went 17-of-22 from the foul line to help the team overcome its early shooting woes.

Junior guard Angel Robinson missed most of the second half after leaving the game with a broken nose. She finished with eight points, 10 shy of 1,000 points for her career.

Meanwhile, junior guard Tatiyiana McMorris helped fill the void with a game-high six assists and seven steals, tying an Al McGuire Center single-game record. Lauren Thomas-Johnson and Courtney Weibel added nine points apiece.

Drysdale led the Golden Griffins with nine points. She shot 3-of-7 from the field as Canisius was 11-of-51 as team (21.6 percent).

With the win, Marquette improved to 8-4 overall and 6-1 on its home court. Canisius falls to 5-5 on the season. The Golden Eagles will return to action Dec. 29 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (8 p.m.).