WBB cruises past NJIT, 90-58

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University women's basketball team used 22 points from Karissa McLaughlin and a near triple-double from Chloe Marotta to defeat NJIT, 90-58, on Friday evening at the Al McGuire Center.

The Golden Eagles (2-0) broke free from an early 4-3 deficit to cruise to their second win of the season behind 50.7% shooting from the floor (35-of-69). McLaughlin posted her second-straight 20-point performance and Lauren Van Kleunen added 16 points.

Marotta notched a career-best eight assists on the night and added eight rebounds and 11 points in 22 minutes of action. She was 7-of-10 from the floor in the win.

"I thought overall we had a really nice game," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "I though we had some great moments tonight but overall, we're still a work in progress. Defensively, we're trying to get better each and every day. We knew NJIT was going to move the ball around pretty quickly to shoot 3's, and they did, but we got to play a lot of players tonight, and it was great to get them some on-court experience."

The Highlanders (0-2) were paced by 13 points from Kenna Squier and shot 37.1% from the floor (23-of-62).

Marquette held a 22-10 lead after the opening quarter and outscored NJIT, 24-11, in the fourth.

Through two games, MU is averaging 93.5 points per game through the first two contests of the season.
MU is 2-0 all-time against NJIT. The only other meeting was an 81-41 MU win on Dec. 3, 2009.
Marquette held the Highlanders scoreless for 6:08 of game play spanning the first and second quarters to take a commanding 26-10 lead. The Golden Eagles outscored NJIT 15-0 over that time.
McLaughlin scored 17 points in 17 first half minutes to lead both squads.
MU led 45-26 at the half and shot 48.6% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The Highlanders shot just 33.3% in the first half, but were 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Chloe Marotta set a new career best with eight assists.
Liza Karlen set a new career high in rebounds for the second time in as many games this season. She had nine in the season opener against Alcorn State and added 10 tonight.

UP NEXT: Marquette continues action on Monday at noon against Southern at the Al McGuire Center. The Golden Eagles will then embark on a three-game road swing that will take them to Colorado and to Florida for the Daytona Beach Invitational.

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).