Marquette University
North Dakota
WBB Takes on North Dakota Saturday Afternoon
12/10/2021 9:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles to face Fighting Hawks in second all-time meeting
FULL NOTES (PDF)
MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (7-2, 2-0 BIG EAST) returns home this weekend to host North Dakota (4-4, 0-0 Summit) at the Al McGuire Center on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. (CT). The game will be broadcast by the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops, with Patrick Reed (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (analyst) on the call. Live stats are available at GoMarquette.com.
The Golden Eagles are off to a 7-2 start to the 2021-22 campaign, with just two games remaining on their non-conference slate. Most recently, MU posted a 59-51 win over cross-town foe Milwaukee, a game which it led from start to finish. On the same night that she broke the program career record for games played (135), graduate forward Lauren Van Kleunen led Marquette to victory with a career-high 25 points.
Marquette's defense has been its calling card this season, holding opponents to a league-best 52.3 points per game. On the year, teams are shooting just 35.7 percent (185-of-518) from the floor and 23.0 percent (31-of-135) from behind the arc, while turning the ball over 17.9 times per game.
North Dakota enters Saturday's contest 4-4 overall, including a 1-2 road record. The Fighting Hawks are currently riding a three-game winning streak with wins over Brown, Siena and Minnesota-Morris during that stretch. They will be led by Mallory Bernhard, who is in her first season with the program.
Statistically, the Fighting Hawks have been led by junior guard Kacie Borowicz, who is averaging 19.2 points and 6.2 assists per contest.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
• North Dakota finished the 2020-21 season with an overall record of 2-19, including a 1-12 mark in road contests.
• The Fighting Hawks went 2-13 in Summit League play to finish ninth in the final standings. They did not qualify for the conference tournament.
• UND enters Saturday's contest with a 4-4 record on the season, going 1-2 in road contests. Most recently, they posted a 97-55 win over Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 4.
• Junior guard Kacie Borowicz currently leads the team in both points (19.2) and assists (6.2) per game.
• The Fighting Hawks have won three-straight, and have won four of the five games with Borowicz, who missed the first three games of the season, in the lineup.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA
• Saturday's game will mark just the second all-time matchup between Marquette and North Dakota.
• The only other meeting came last season in Grand Forks, a 90-82 win for MU.
• Four different Golden Eagles scored in double-figures in that game, led by a 20-point effort from Jordan King.
• All-time, Marquette is 15-3 against current Summit League programs.
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Eagles are 17-5 in non-conference action under Coach Duffy.
• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through three seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 50-17 overall mark (.746) at Marquette.
• The Golden Eagles are 40-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 28-2 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.
• MU is 27-3 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 34-3 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.
• In the 67 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent in 57 of those games (45-12 record).
LVK MAKES HISTORY IN WIN OVER MILWAUKEE
• Graduate forward Lauren Van Kleunen had a night to remember in Marquette's win over Milwaukee, as she made program history while also having the best offensive output of her career.
• In her 135th career game, Van Kleunen became the all-time leader for games played in the blue and gold, passing Angel Robinson (2007-11).
• Van Kleunen also led all scorers in the game as she went for career-bests in points (25), field goals made (12) and field goals attempted (20).
DEFENSE REIGNS SUPREME FOR GOLDEN EAGLES
• Marquette has built a reputation on strong defense under Coach Duffy, an area which it has excelled this season.
• MU is holding opponents to a league-best 52.3 points per game.
• Through three games in the month of December, Marquette opponents are averaging just 48.0 points per contest.
• On the year, teams are shooting just 35.7 percent (185-of-518) from the floor and 23.0 percent (31-of-135) from 3-point range.
• The Golden Eagles have forced 17.9 turnovers on 8.6 steals per game.
VAN KLEUNEN A CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
• 30 candidates for this year's prestigious Senior CLASS Award were announced on Dec. 7, a list which includes Lauren Van Kleunen.
• The award, which encourages student-athletes to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities, will narrow the field to 10 finalists in February and announce the winner during the 2020 NCAA Final Four.
• Van Kleunen has excelled in each of the four fields focused on by the award: community, classroom, character and competition.
LAST TIME OUT
• In the 52nd all-time matchup between Marquette and cross-town foe Milwaukee, the Golden Eagles posted a 59-51 win at Klotsche Arena.
• MU never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 17 points.
• Milwaukee scored 20 of its 51 points in the fourth quarter.
• Lauren Van Kleunen led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, while Chloe Marotta went for 13 points and 10 boards to earn the fourth double-double of her career.
• Jordan King stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, a career-high nine assists and two blocks.
