#MUWBB Opens BIG EAST Tournament Saturday Night

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Marquette women's basketball team opens BIG EAST tournament play on Saturday, March 6 at 5 p.m. central time on FS2. The No. 2-seeded Golden Eagles will take on the winner of No. 7 Providence and No. 10 Butler. John Fanta (play-by-play) and Kim Adams (analyst) will be on the call.

The Golden Eagles (17-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) were on a five-game winning streak before dropping their season finale to No. 1 UConn. MU had not previously lost since dropping back-to-back games against No. 3/5 UConn and No. 20/21 DePaul in a three-day span in early February.

MU is anchored by seniors Selena Lott (15.0 ppg.) and Lauren Van Kleunen (13.0 ppg.), who have had all-conference level 2020-21 seasons. Lott was named the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year in addition to garnering First Team All-BIG EAST honors.

LVK earned Second Team honors while Camryn Taylor (11.9 ppg., 7.0 reb) made honorable mention.

Joining Lott, Taylor and Van Kleunen in the stating lineup are sophomore guard Jordan King (9.9 ppg.) and junior forward Chloe Marotta (6.5 reb.). Claire Kaifes, Liza Karlen, Taylor Valladay and Antwainette Walker are the main reserves off the bench.

MU heads into the BIG EAST tournament as the No. 2 seed for the fourth straight season. The Golden Eagles have finished as conference tournament runners-up in the last three years since winning the 2017 BIG EAST tournament crown.

MU's quarterfinal opponent on Saturday evening will be either Providence (6-13, 4-10 BIG EAST) or Butler (3-16, 3-15 BIG EAST). The Golden Eagles have defeated each team twice in 2020-21 with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points per game.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
The game will be televised on FS2 and the BIG EAST Conference will provide live stats. Make sure to follow along on Twitter @MarquetteWBB for live in-game updates.

GAME DETAILS
No. 2 Marquette (17-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) vs. No. 7 Providence OR No. 10 Butler
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Conn.
Saturday, March 6
5 p.m. CT
FS2/FOX Sports App

LAST TIME OUT
• Marquette fell to No. 1 UConn 63-53 on Monday night to conclude the 2020-21 regular season.
• Junior forward Camryn Taylor led the Golden Eagles (17-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) with 19 points and six rebounds while Lauren Van Kleunen had 12 points and eight boards. Jordan King joined them in double figures with 11 points. Selena Lott was held to six points but dished out a game-high eight assists.
• MU trailed by no more than 15 points and had UConn's lead down to seven points in the third quarter, but would get no closer and fell in the seaon finale.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS – ALL-TIME SERIES
• Seven of the 10 players on PC's roster are upperclassmen, including four seniors and three juniors.
• Junior forward Mary Baskerville leads PC in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 reb.). The three-year starter is coming off a sophomore season in which she averaged 11.8 pts and 7.6 boards, which were both good for first on the team.
• Upperclassmen guards Kyra Spiwak (11.2 ppg), Alyssa Geary (11.1 ppg) and Chanell Williams (9.4 ppg) make up most of the rest of the scoring load. No one else averages more than four points per game.
• Marquette is 19-5 all-time against the Friars and have won the past eight in a row, including an 89-40 triumph over PC on Dec. 4 at the Al McGuire Center.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS – ALL-TIME SERIES
• Butler is led by Odessa junior college transfer Okako Adika, a 2019-20 NJCAA Division 1 First Team All-American. She averages 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Adika leads Butler in scoring, field goal percentage, 3-pointers made, offensive rebounds and minutes played.
• Genesis Parker is second on the team with 12.9 points per game and Upe Atosu averages 11.1.
• MU has won 12 of the last 14 in the series and leads 16-9 all-time. The Golden Eagles won both meetings this season, 95-57 on Jan. 24 and 77-48 on Feb. 10.

STARTING FIVE
• Selena Lott became the first Golden Eagle to win BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year as she split the honors with UConn's Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Lott also made First Team All-BIG EAST while Lauren Van Kleunen made the second team and Camryn Taylor made All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
• Marquette's streak of five straight BIG EAST wins prior to Monday's game moved it to 14-4 in conference play, marking the programs fifth consecutive season with 10-or-more BIG EAST wins. Coach Duffy and company went 13-5 in BIG EAST play last year. She's 27-9 in her 36 BIG EAST games.
• 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. 24 all-time in scoring at MU with 1,140 points.
• The Golden Eagles are 31-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 21-1 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.
• In the 54 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded or tied their opponent 50 times (39-11 record). They'll look to continue that streak this weekend.

MARQUETTE IN WINS VS. LOSSES
• The Golden Eagles are 17-5 (14-4 BIG EAST) in 2020-21.
• Team Stats in (17) Wins: 75.5 ppg, 48.3% FG, 34.7% 3FG, 72.3% FT, 20.9 Ast., 14.8 TO
• Team Stats in (5) Losses: 62.8 ppg, 40.8% FG, 23.2% 3FG, 66.7% FT, 18.9 Ast., 17.6 TO
• Selena Lott in Wins: 17.1 ppg, 48.3% FG, 40.0% 3FG, 86.3% FT, 5.8 Reb., 5.2 Ast., 2.1 steals
• Selena Lott in Losses: 7.8 ppg, 27.5% FG, 6.3% 3FG, 66.7% FT, 4.2 Reb., 5.4 Ast., 2.2 steals

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Golden Eagles are 16-14 all-time in the BIG EAST tournament. Since 2017, however, MU is 9-3 in the conference tournament and has made four straight appearances in the BIG EAST title game.
• MU defeated DePaul 86-78 for the program's only BIG EAST tournament title in program history (since 2006 when it joined the league).
• In 2020, MU defeated VU (72-59) and St. John's (78-55) before falling to DePaul in the finals (88-74).

MARQUETTE CLEANS UP IN BIG EAST AWARDS
• Senior guard Selena Lott was named the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the conference announced on Thursday. She also took home First Team All-BIG EAST honors, her second consecutive all-conference nod (Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2019-20).
• Redshirt senior forward Lauren Van Kleunen was named as the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award recipient. One of the team's leaders in the social justice movement, LVK graduated with her undergrad degree in marketing with a minor in public relations in May 2019 with a 3.2 cumulative GPA. LVK is currently pursuing her graduate degree of communication and media studies and a sport leadership certificate and will graduate with both in May 2021. She's also been extremely active in community service opportunities including Al's Run, reading to kids at school, Race for the Cure and Hunger Task Force. She was also named Second Team All-BIG EAST, her first career all-league selection.
• Sophomore Camryn Taylor was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention. She made the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last year and upped her numbers to 11.9 points and 7.0 rebounds this year.

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
• Selena Lott became the 30th Golden Eagle to reach the 1,000-career point mark on Jan. 27 at Villanova. She now has 1,140 points and ranks No. 24 all-time at MU. Lauren Van Kleunen is 23 points away from hitting that threshold. Lott (365 assists) also ranks No. 11 all-time in that category at MU.
• Selena Lott is a career 35.4% 3-point shooter, which ranks 7th all-time at MU. She's 29/82 (35%) from downtown this season. She ranks No. 12 all-time at MU with 129 3-pointers made in her career.
• Lott is 9th all-time in Golden Eagles history in steals. She has 216 right now, five out of eighth place.

MOHEGAN SUN HOSTING BIG EAST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
• The BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep will be played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., from March 6-9.
• The agreement spans three years and includes the 2021, 2022 and 2023 postseasons.
• Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000-seat venue located in southeastern Connecticut which features
year-round entertainment.
• The past seven BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournaments have been played in the Midwest, including the past three years at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

WHAT'S NEXT?
With a win Saturday, Marquette will play in the BIG EAST tournament semifinals Sunday night against an opponent to be determined.

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).