#MUWBB to Host Villanova Friday Night

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette women's basketball team hosts the Villanova Wildcats for a BIG EAST game on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. Central time. FloHoops holds the streaming rights and Patrick Reed (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (analyst) will be on the call.

The Golden Eagles (14-4, 11-3 BIG EAST) went 2-0 last week against Butler and Providence after coming off their most challenging weekend of the season, when they faced No. 3/5 UConn and No. 20/21 DePaul in a three-day span. MU fell to the Huskies, 87-58, and to the Blue Demons, 87-82.

MU is anchored by seniors Selena Lott (14.8 ppg.) and Lauren Van Kleunen (12.4 ppg.) and returned eight contributors from last season. This includes BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection Camryn Taylor, who's averaging 11.1 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds.

MU has typically gone with a nine-player rotation this season with sophomore Jordan King (10.3 ppg.) and Chloe Marotta (6.6 reb.) joining the starters. Claire Kaifes, Liza Karlen, Taylor Valladay and Antwainette Walker all play between 8-20 minutes per game.

Lott has developed into one of the top all-around players in the country in 2020-21. She leads the team in scoring, assists, steals, blocks and free throw percentage. She ranks in the top 10 individually in the BIG EAST in seven statistical categories.

Villanova (12-3, 7-3 BIG EAST) is led by first-year head coach Denise Dillon, who returned to her alma mater to replace longtime Wildcat Harry Perretta, who retired following the 2019-20 season.

The Wildcats' only three losses came to Marquette (95-77), DePaul (94-82) and UConn (90-52). They went a perfect 5-0 in conference play and have defeated their seven other BIG EAST opponents.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
The games will be streamed live on FloHoops.com and the FloSports app while GoMarquette.com will provide live stats. Make sure to follow along on Twitter @MarquetteWBB for live in-game updates.

GAME DETAILS
Marquette (14-4, 11-3 BIG EAST) vs. Villanova (12-3, 7-3 BIG EAST)
Al McGuire Center
Milwaukee, Wis.
Friday, Feb. 19
7 p.m. CT
FloHoops.com/FloSports App

LAST TIME OUT
• The Marquette women's basketball team defeated Providence 73-52 on Saturday afternoon in Rhode Island to complete the season sweep of the Friars.
• Selena Lott and Jordan King tallied 14 points each to lead a group of four Golden Eagles (14-4, 11-3 BIG EAST) to reach double figures. Taylor Valladay scored 12 points off the bench to tie her career-high while Lauren Van Kleunen scored 11 points to go along with eight rebounds. Seven different Golden Eagles reached the scoring column and the team shot 50 percent (28-56) from the field.
• After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Friars cut a once 20-point MU lead to 12 points with a 10-2 run to start the fourth. The Golden Eagles clamped down on defense in the final 5:29 of regulation, outscoring the Friars 14-5 on the back of 12 combined points from Jordan King and Lauren Van Kleunen.
• MU held PC to 38 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers while making over 50 percent of its shots for the seventh time this season.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS – ALL-TIME SERIES
• Wildcat head coach Denise Dillon returns to her alma mater to replace longtime Wildcat mentor Harry Perretta, who retired following the 2019-20 season.
• VU is led by sophomore standout Maddy Siegrist, who averages 22.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She turned in one of the best freshman seasons in the history of VU last year when she averaged a team-best 19.3 points a team-high 9.1 rebounds per contest, earning first team All-BIG EAST honors.
• In the BIG EAST preseason predicted order of finish, Villanova was picked to finish seventh in the league standings with 44 points.
• Seniors Brianna Herlihy (14.6 ppg) and Sarah Mortenson (12.8 ppg) are Siegrist's two partners in crime. The three together combine to score 72% of the Wildcats points.
• MU leads the all-time series against Villanova 17-10. The Golden Eagles had won seven in a row from 2016-20 before falling to VU last year on the road. MU is 7-4 all-time at home against Nova.

STARTING FIVE
• Marquette's wins over Butler and Providence last week moved it to 11-3 in conference play, marking the programs fifth consecutive season with 10-or-more BIG EAST wins.
• Senior guard Selena Lott became the 30th Golden Eagle in program history to hit the 1,000 point mark on Jan. 27 at Villanova. She now sits at No. 27 all-time in scoring at MU with 1,077 points.
• The Golden Eagles are 30-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 20-1 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.
• MU is 11-1 when scoring more than 80 points under Coach Duffy and 26-3 when shooting more free throws than its opponent. The Golden Eagles have scored 80-or-more points six times this year (5-1).
• In the 50 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded or tied their opponent 47 times (36-11 record). They'll look to continue that streak this weekend.

GOLDEN EAGLES TO WEAR #GOLD4SARAH
• All of Marquette's athletic teams will wear gold jerseys and/or shoelaces in their contests Feb. 17-21 for MU volleyball student-athlete Sarah Rose, who is undergoing treatment for Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. The Golden Eagles will wear gold jerseys and shoelaces in Friday's game against Nova.
• All are encouraged to use the hashtag #Gold4Sarah to post their support on social media throughout the week. Those wishing to donate to those families affected by pediatric cancer can consider the Go4theGoal Foundation (qgiv.com).

MARQUETTE IN WINS VS. LOSSES
• The Golden Eagles are 14-4 (11-3 BIG EAST) in 2020-21.
• Team Stats in (14) Wins: 76.4 ppg., 48.5% FG, 36.6% 3FG, 72.1% FT, 21.4 Ast., 15.3 TO
• Team Stats in (4) Losses: 65.3 ppg., 40.9% FG, 21.1% 3FG, 64.9% FT, 17.8 Ast., 18.3 TO
• Selena Lott in Wins: 16.7 ppg., 50.0% FG, 42.4% 3FG, 89.3% FT, 5.5 Reb., 4.9 Ast., 1.6 steals
• Selena Lott in Losses: 8.3 ppg., 28.2% FG, 8.3% 3FG, 66.7% FT, 4.8 Reb., 4.8 Ast., 2.3 steals

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• The Golden Eagles went 13-2 at home in 2019-20, including a perfect 9-0 record in BIG EAST play. So far in 2020-21 MU is 4-3 at home, including 4-2 in BIG EAST play. MU's average margin of victory in BIG EAST home wins this year is 28.3 ppg.
• Their only losses last year at home were to Northwestern and Mississippi State, who each finished ranked in the top-15 nationally. This year, MU fell to No. 3/5 UConn, 87-58.
• MU has won 35 of its past 43 games at the Al McGuire Center, which includes a 22-3 record in the last 25 BIG EAST home games.
• MU hasn't lost more than four home games in a season since 2014-15 and is 38-7 in the past three seasons inside the friendly confines of the Al McGuire Center.

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
• Selena Lott became the 30th Golden Eagle to reach the 1,000-career point mark on Jan. 27 at Villanova. Lauren Van Kleunen is 76 points away from hitting that threshold.
• Selena Lott is a career 36.2% 3-point shooter, which ranks 7th all-time at MU. She's 29/78 (37%) from downtown this season. She ranks No. 12 all-time at MU with 129 3-pointers made in her career.
• Lott is three steals away from a tie for 10th all-time in Golden Eagles history. She has 200 right now.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• Marquette will get Saturday and Sunday off of games before hosting Creighton on Monday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. Central time. FS1 will have streaming coverage.

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).