Golden Eagles Rout Vermont, 68-19

Dec. 4, 2010

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Marquette University women's basketball team jumped out to an 18-0 lead at Vermont Saturday afternoon and never looked back en route to a 68-19 win at Patrick Gymnasium.

Marquette improves to 7-1 with the victory, while Vermont remains winless at 0-7 overall.

The 19 points allowed is the fewest Marquette has surrendered in Division I program history.

Paige Fiedorowicz paced Marquette with a game-high 14 points, while Angel Robinson added 12, and Sarina Simmons and Katherine Poulffe each chipped in 10. For the game, the Golden Eagles connected on 48.1 percent (26-of-54) of its attempts, including a season-high 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from beyond the arc, while holding the Catamounts to just 16.3 percent (8-of-49). Marquette dominated the glass owning a 51-25 rebounding advantage.

Marquette held the Catamounts without a basket for the first 7:42 of the game. Vermont had no answer for Marquette and the Golden Eagles pushed their lead to 29 points, 31-2, with 4:26 left in the first.

Marquette held a 40-6 lead at the half.

Seven Golden Eagles were involved in scoring with Fiedorowicz registering a team-high 10 points in the opening frame. The Golden Eagles shot a season-high 55.2 percent from the floor in the first half, connecting on 16-of-29 attempts, including five from long range.

Marquette took its largest lead of the game, 51 points, following two made free throws by Robinson with 4:29 left to play.

Marquette will open BIG EAST Conference play at No. 1 Connecticut, Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT.

Quotes

Head Coach Terri Mitchell

About the game overall...

"We set up our schedule to play great competition both at home and on the road in non-conference play. The reality is that Vermont is a program with lots of tradition and they are struggling this year. They are young, but the crowd is so supportive and they come out. Our players need to understand what it is to get in that plane and go across the country, play, and keep incredible focus. I thought, defensively, we had incredible focus. We had a lot of communication and made things happen. Offensively, we were able to use several combinations and really give people some valuable minutes. We were able to keep who we are, and that is pushing the ball. Vermont plays a zone, so that was great work for us to figure out what the gaps were."

What the team takes away from a game like this...

"Defensively, we just want to keep building upon that effort. When a team is struggling you don't let them get back in; you keep the pressure on. My take away is you keep the pressure on the team and you don't relax. You can do that without pressing, without trapping, but you just have a pressure and presence about you. We took away vision and I was really proud of our players for being able to do that. When we were watching film, they love to go high low, and we did a great job of taking that away. Offensively, we were looking to get multiple people involved. We still had some turnovers; more inexperience turnovers, but we are always trying to get better there. We are 7-1. It is all about growing, keeping that passion and never taking for granted that opportunity we have each time we step on the court."

Game Notes

- Angel Robinson scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. With 1,370 career points, Robinson stands eighth on the all-time scoring list. She is fifth on the career steals (228) and fourth on the career assists (447) lists.

- Paige Fiedorowicz registered her second straight game of 10-or-more points, and her fourth game of the season leading MU in scoring. This season, Marquette is 5-0 when Fiedorowicz contributes 10-or-more points, and 4-0 when registers MU's highest point total.

- The Golden Eagles 51 rebounds are a season high. Marquette is 6-0 this season when out rebounding their opponents.

- Tatiyiana McMorris pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. At 5-7, McMorris is the shortest player on the team to lead Marquette in rebounding and she has done so twice this season.

- Head coach Terri Mitchell won her first career game in Burlington, Vt., as well as her 279th.

- Marquette's 51-point lead with 4:29 left to play is the biggest lead MU has held over an opponent this season.

- MU's 49-point winning margin is also a season high.