#MUWBB Erases Halftime Deficit to Top St. John's

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball team defeated St. John's 66-62 on Wednesday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center. With the win, the Golden Eagles move to 5-1 (2-0 BIG EAST) during the 2020-21 season.

Selena Lott led the way with 21 points for MU while Lauren Van Kleunen added 12, including the eventual game-winning hook shot with 52 seconds to play. The two seniors played critical roles in helping to erase a six-point halftime deficit to the Red Storm and accounted for 50% (33 of 66) of the team's scoring output.

"I thought we were very composed down the strech," Coach Duffy said. "During those final few minutes I was proud of the way we defended and came up with some clutch shooting when we needed it most. In these close games it's extremely important that we stay poised and I thought we did that in the end of the game today."

MU trailed by six points at the half, 37-31. SJU's Leilani Correa scored 20 of her game-high 31 points in the first 20 minutes, showcasing a stellar scoring arsenal to spark the Red Storm offense. Lott and LVK combined to score 18 of MU's 31 first half points.

MU's bench came up big in the third quarter as the Golden Eagles were able to cut into the SJU lead. Sophomore guard Antwainette Walker and freshman forward Liza Karlen combined to score 10 of MU's 16 points in the quarter, cutting SJU's lead to just one at the end of the third (48-47).

"Something that our coaching staff tells us that I take to heart is to 'stay ready' because your number can be called at any time," Karlen said. "It doesn't matter if you play five minutes or 25 minutes, but when you're in the game its important to provide energy, and I tried to do that today."

The fourth quarter included two ties and six lead changes, including a couple lead changes in the final two minutes. The Golden Eagles took their first lead since the 3:27 mark of the first quarter after Selena Lott hit a layup to begin the final quarter. MU led by as many as four in the final frame when Lott buried a three to put her team ahead 61-57 with 3:08 to play.

SJU came storming back, going on a quick 5-0 run to take a 62-61 lead at the 1:45 mark. After exchanging defensive stops, LVK hit the eventual game-winner for MU on a post hook inside the paint. The Golden Eagles would go on to hit three of their final four foul shots to cement the game and take home a four point win.

"This was a great game," Duffy said. "It looks different with no fans, but it felt the same, intensity-wise, as an important BIG EAST game with potential postseason bids on the line. We were just happy to come away with a win today and move to 2-0 in conference play."

Leilani Correa netted a team-high 31 points on 11/21 shooting from the field for St. John's. Kadaja Bailey (11 points) was the only other St. John's player to reach double figures.

POSTGAME NOTES:
-MU lost the rebounding battle for just the third time in 38 games in the Coach Duffy era.
-Selena Lott registered her 38th career double-figure scoring game and eighth career 20-point game (21 points).
-Lauren Van Kleunen scored in double figures for her 11th straight game, including all six games this season.
-Liza Karlen set a new career-high with nine points on 4/5 shooting from the field. All nine points came in the second half.
-Jordan King tallied career-highs in both assists (8) and steals (5).
-Antwainette Walker scored four of her six points in the third quarter.
-MU moves to 2-1 this season when trailing at the half.
-The Golden Eagles are 2-0 this season and 5-0 all-time under Coach Duffy in games decided by 1-5 points.

UP NEXT:
Marquette will travel to Seton Hall on Saturday, Dec. 19 and Xavier on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The SHU game is set for noon Central time while the Xavier game is at 1 p.m. CT.

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).