#MUWBB Set to Host Milwaukee in Home Opener

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette women's basketball team is set to take on the Milwaukee Panthers for the 2020-21 season home opener on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. Central time and GoMarquette.com will provide a free live stream and statistics.

Milwaukee (2-0) trails the all-time series against MU, 31-19, and has lost 19 of the last 20 games to the Golden Eagles. The Panthers last win in the series was in 2008.

Led by second year head coach Megan Duffy, the Golden Eagles are coming off a 24-8 (13-5 BIG EAST) season in which they finished as the conference runner-up and advanced to the BIG EAST tournament title game for the fourth straight year.

Second Team All-BIG EAST selection Selena Lott (15.5 ppg.) and fellow senior Lauren Van Kleunen (11.8 ppg.) anchor an MU team that returns eight letterwinners and three starters from 2019-20.

Sophomores Jordan King and Camryn Taylor will continue to be key pieces in their second years in the program. King started every game as a freshman while Taylor was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

Chloe Marotta joins them in the starting group and will be a full-time starter for the first time in her career. She averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 2019-20.

MU began its season with a 90-82 victory at North Dakota while Milwaukee defeated Ball State (67-56) and Bradley to begin the season 2-0.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
The game will be live steamed on GoMarquette.com. Patrick Reed will be on the call alongside color commentator Megan McKeown. Live stats will also be available on the team website. Follow along on Twitter @MarquetteWBB for live in-game updates.

GAME DETAILS
Marquette (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Milwaukee (2-0, 0-0 Horizon)
Al McGuire Center
Milwaukee, Wis.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
1 p.m. CT

LIVE COVERAGE
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

STARTING FIVE:
• Marquette was won the past eight meetings against Milwaukee and 19 of the last 20 overall.
• The Golden Eagles have won four straight home openers and 16 of their past 18 overall.
• MU hasn't played Milwaukee in its home opener since the 2004-05 season, a 74-66 victory.
• MU went 9-2 in non-conference play last season coach Duffy, including a 4-2 home record.
• Since 1988, the Golden Eagles have lost just once at home to Milwaukee, a 63-62 setback on Dec. 31, 2008.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• Led by ninth-year head coach Kyle Rechlicz, Milwaukee (2-0) was predicted to finish seventh of 12 in the 2020-21 Horizon League Preseason Poll.
• Milwaukee has five seniors on its roster for the 2020-21 season, bringing a plethora of experience to the floor. The group has combined to play in 404 career games, each with at least 60 under their belt.
• Senior Brandi Bisping (16.5 ppg) is the team's leading scorer through two games. She was named to the All-Horizon League Third Team in 2019-20 after averaging 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
• MKE's top four scorers are all seniors and they rely on a balanced scoring attack. Six different players average between four and nine points per game.
• After having to sit out last season with an injury, Megan Walstad returns for the 2020-21 campaign. In her freshman season, Walstad averaged a team-best 10.7 points along with 5.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.

MU PICKED THIRD, LOTT NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
• The Golden Eagles were picked by their peers to finish third in the BIG EAST in 2020-21.
• National power UConn, in its return to the BIG EAST, received 10 first place votes. DePaul, the reigning conference champions, were picked to finish second behind the Huskies.
• 2019-20 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Selena Lott had a breakout junior season, leading the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game.
• She was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team at the league's Virtual Media Day.
• Lott was among the league leaders in FG% (3rd, 52.5%), assists (5.6) and steals (1.8). She reached double figures in scoring 25 times and netted 20-or-more on five occasions.

SENIORS TO LEAD THE WAY IN 2020-21
• Departed seniors Isabelle Spingola (10.5 ppg.) and Altia Anderson (4.5 ppg., 6.5 reb.) are the only two regular contributors gone from a Golden Eagle team that won 24 games last year.
• Seven of MU's top nine scorers are back this season, including senior leaders Selena Lott and Lauren Van Kleunen.
• All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree Selena Lott returns for her senior year after a breakout junior campaign saw her lead MU and finish eighth in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.5 ppg). She reached double figures 25 times and netted 20-or-more on five separate occasions.
• Redshirt senior Lauren Van Kleunen was last year's second-leading scorer at 11.9 ppg while coming down with 5.9 boards per night (second on the team).
• She played in a combined 68 games in her freshman and sophomore years, averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds off the bench before getting her first opportunity as a full-time starter last year.
• LVK ranked fifth in the conference in field goal % (.513) and notched 21 double-figure scoring outings.

SUPER SOPHS POISED FOR STRONG SECOND SEASON
• Five members of Marquette's 2019 freshman class that saw significant minutes last season are back in 2020-21 and they're looking to build off a successful first season in Blue & Gold.
• Forward Camryn Taylor, a selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, was the team's first player off the bench in her first year on campus. She finished fourth on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg.) while bringing down nearly four rebounds per night. Taylor tallied her second career double-double against UND, scoring 17 points and bringing down 11 rebounds.
• Jordan King was the lone freshman in the starting lineup last season. The crafty guard tallied 8.1 ppg while finishing second on the team in assists (3.2) while playing 30.8 minutes per game. She was also named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on March 2.
• Nirel Lougbo, Claire Kaifes and Taylor Valladay played a combined 26 minutes per game in the backcourt as reserves. A defensive specialist, Lougbo (1.5 ppg.) appeared in all 32 games while Kaifes (1.0 ppg.) played in 24 and Valladay (0.7 ppg.) made 20 appearances.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• The Golden Eagles went 13-2 at home in 2019-20, including a perfect 9-0 record in BIG EAST play.
• Their only losses were to Northwestern and Mississippi State, who each finished ranked in the top-15 nationally after last season.
• MU has won 30 of its past 35 games at the Al McGuire Center, which includes a perfect 20-0 record in the last 20 BIG EAST home games.
• The Golden Eagles haven't lost a BIG EAST home game since Feb. 4, 2018, a 74-73 loss to Creighton.
• MU hasn't lost more than four home games in a season since 2014-15 and is 36-5 in the past three seasons inside the friendly confines of the Al McGuire Center.

[JORDAN] KING ME
• Sophomore point guard Jordan King started all 32 games last year as a freshman, finishing second on the team and eighth in the BIG EAST in assists per game (3.2).
• The Rockton, Ill., native reached double figures in scoring in 10 different games, including a breakout 18-point performance at Milwaukee on Dec. 8, 2019.
• King was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on March 2, 2020 and made the conference honor roll once in December. She also made the honor roll this week after tallying a career-best 20 points in MU's season opener on Sunday.
• "We put a lot on Jordan's plate last year as a freshman starting at point guard in the BIG EAST," coach Duffy said. "The biggest difference for her this season is her confidence in her scoring ability. Her shooting percentages in practice are great, and we move her off the ball sometimes to give her different opportunities to score. She's also been phenomenal as a leader to the freshmen."

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The home opener against Milwaukee begins a three-game homestand for the Golden Eagles. MU will stay home to host Providence to begin BIG EAST play on Friday, Dec. 4. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
• The Golden Eagles will then have a week between games and will complete non-conference play with games against Prairie View A&M (Dec. 11) and Belmont (Dec. 13).

Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).