WBB to Face Cincinnati in Non-Conference FInale

Full Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (8-3, 2-1 BIG EAST) returns home to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule Wednesday afternoon, as it hosts Cincinnati (7-4, 0-0 AAC) on Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. (CT) inside the Al McGuire Center. The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network and streamed 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 an 8-3 start to the 2021-22 campaign, including a 6-2 record in non-conference play. After starting the month of December with four-straight wins, MU suffered a 69-57 road loss at Seton Hall on Dec. 19, its first loss of BIG EAST play. Saturday's game will be the final contest before a short Christmas break for Marquette, which will then travel to face UConn on Dec. 29.

Cincinnati boasts a 7-4 record on the year, one win away from matching last season's win total, a season in which it finished 8-16. The Bearcats are riding a three-game winning streak, posting wins over BIG EAST foe Xavier, as well as Chattanooga and most recently North Carolina A&T.

Despite its winning record, Cincinnati has a -2.7 scoring margin on the season (63.8-66.5 points per game) with each of its losses coming by 10+ points. It will be led by Michelle Clark-Heard, who is in her fourth season with the program.

Statistically, the Bearcats have been led by junior point guard Akira Levy, who is averaging team-high marks of 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and 2.7 steals per contest. Sophomore guard Jillian Hayes leads the squad on the glass with 6.5 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS

• Cincinnati finished the 2020-21 season with an overall record of 8-16, including a 6-4 mark on the road.

• The Bearcats went 6-12 in AAC play to finish seventh in the final standings. They defeated Memphis in the first round of the American Championship before falling to UCF.

• Cincinnati enters Wednesday's contest with a 7-4 record and having won three-straight. It defeated BIG EAST foe Xavier on Dec. 12, 82-73.

• The Bearcats are 1-2 away from home this season.

• Junior point guard Akira Levy is the team's top statistical performer this season, averaging a team-best 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and 2.7 steals per contest.

• Despite its 7-4 record, Cincinnati currently has a -2.7 scoring margin on the season (63.8-66.5 points per game). Each of its losses have come by 10+ points.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST CINCINNATI

• Wednesday's game will mark the 37th all-time meeting between Marquette and Cincinnati, a series which spans back to 1992.

• The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series, 23-13.

• MU has won three of the past four meetings, and is 12-5 against the Bearcats in games played in Milwaukee.

• The teams met last season in Cincinnati on Dec. 12, 2020, an 86-75 win for Marquette.

• Marquette is 65-32 all-time against current AAC programs.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 18-4 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 51-18 overall mark (.739) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 41-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 29-2 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 28-3 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 34-4 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 69 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent in 59 of those games (46-13 record).

KARLEN STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE

• After coming off the bench to appear in 24 games in a reserve role in 2020-21, sophomore guard Liza Karlen has become an important contributor as a starter for the Golden Eagles.

• Just 11 games in, Karlen has now played just two fewer total minutes this season (266) than she did all of last year.

• Karlen has more than doubled her scoring and rebounding averages from a season ago, while making nine starts and averaging 24.2 minutes per game this year.

• She is coming off back-to-back double-figure scoring games, and went for the second double-double of her career at Seton Hall (11 points, 10 rebounds).

THE MCLAUGHLIN EFFECT

• Marquette brought in guard Karissa McLaughlin as a graduate transfer during the offseason with hopes that she could make an immediate impact, and that's exactly what she has done.

• McLaughlin, Purdue's all-time leading 3-point shooter, is having the best shooting season of her career, shooting an incredibly efficient 45.5 percent (30-of-66) from 3-point range.

• With 274 career triples, she currently ranks 11th among active Division I players.

• McLaughlin has a team-best four 20+ point games this season, including a season-high 26 points last time out against Seton Hall, where she finished 6-of-10 from behind the arc.

• She currently sits just 41 points from reaching the 1,500-point career plateau.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

• MU has established one of the best home court advantages in the country, posting a 67-11 record inside the Al McGuire Center since the 2016-17 season.

• The Golden Eagles are a perfect 6-0 at home this year, winning each game by double-figures and outscoring opponents 475-291.

• Marquette has only trailed for 5:08 of 240 minutes played at home this season.

LAST TIME OUT

• Marquette posted an 89-65 win over North Dakota on Dec. 11 at the Al McGuire Center.

• The Golden Eagles recorded 33 assists on 40 made shots to tie the program's all-time single game assist record.

• MU shot a season-best 58.0 percent (40-of-69) from the field.

• Lauren Van Kleunen led all scorers with her second-straight 20+ point game, finishing with 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting.

• Chloe Marotta stuffed the stat sheet with six points, 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Additionally, Danyel Middleton went for a career-high nine points.