#MUWBB Takes on No. 1 UConn in BIG EAST Final

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Marquette women's basketball team is set to play in the 2021 BIG EAST tournament championship game on Monday, March 8. Their opponent will be the No. 1/1 UConn Huskies. FS1 will provide television coverage with opening tip-off set for 7 p.m. Central time.

The Golden Eagles (19-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) have won seven of their past eight games with the only loss in that stretch coming at No. 1 UConn on March 1.

MU is anchored by seniors Selena Lott (15.2 ppg.) and Lauren Van Kleunen (13.3 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 while LVK earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors and the conference's Sportsmanship Award.

Sophomore forward Camryn Taylor (11.9 ppg., 6.8 reb) made All-BIG EAST honorable mention after a breakout second year on campus.

Joining Lott, Taylor and Van Kleunen in the starting lineup are sophomore guard Jordan King (9.3 ppg.) and junior forward Chloe Marotta (6.3 reb.). Claire Kaifes, Liza Karlen, Taylor Valladay and Antwainette Walker are the main reserves off the bench.

MU will be appearing in its fifth straight BIG EAST tournament championship game on Monday night against UConn. The Golden Eagles have finished as conference tournament runners-up in the last three years since winning the 2017 BIG EAST tournament crown.

The Huskies (23-1, 18-0 BIG EAST) defeated St. John's (77-41) and Villanova (84-39) in the first two rounds to make the title game. Their only loss of the year was Jan. 28 at Arkansas.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
The game will be televised on FS1 and the BIG EAST Conference will provide live stats. Westwood One Sports will also be doing a radio broadcast of the game. You can listen live at WestwoodOneSports.com or on Sirius Channel 84/XM Channel 84. Make sure to follow along on Twitter @MarquetteWBB for live in-game updates.

GAME DETAILS
No. 2 Marquette (19-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) vs. No. 1 UConn (23-1, 18-0 BIG EAST)
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Conn.
Monday, March 8
7 p.m. CT
FS1/FOX Sports App

LAST TIME OUT
• The Marquette women's basketball team defeated the Creighton Bluejays 64-59 in a thrilling BIG EAST tournament semifinal game on Sunday night.
• Senior guard Selena Lott scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Golden Eagles (19-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) to their fifth straight BIG EAST tournament championship game. Lauren Van Kleunen added 16 points and six rebounds and passed the 1,000-career point mark in her career with a layup in the first half. Camryn Taylor chipped in 11 points and five boards.
• Leading by two with 29 seconds left to play, a deflected pass by Chloe Marotta led to a tie up and the possesion arrow went to MU. Lauren Van Kleunen hit three free throws to ice the game and send MU to a 64-59 win.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES – ALL-TIME SERIES
• UConn returned to the BIG EAST Conference in the 2020-21 season after competing in the American Athletic Conference from 2013-20. There the Huskies accumulated a 139-0 conference record.
• Head coach Geno Auriemma is in his 36th season as leader of the Huskies in 2020-21 and holds over 1,100 wins and only 143 losses.
• Freshman phenom Paige Bueckers leads UConn in points, assists, steals and 3FG%.
• UConn's only loss of the year came at #17/20 Arkansas (90-87) on Jan. 28.
• MU is 0-11 all-time against UConn including 0-2 this season. The two teams have met six times in Milwaukee and five times in Storrs but have never played at a neutral site.

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 1,174 points.
• The Golden Eagles are 33-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 23-1 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.
• In the 56 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded or tied their opponent 51 times (40-11 record). They'll look to continue that streak on Monday.

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Golden Eagles are 18-14 all-time in the BIG EAST tournament. Since 2017, however, MU is 11-3 in the conference tournament and has made five 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).

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• The Golden Eagles are 1-3 all-time in BIG EAST tournament championship games. Their only championship came in the 2017 season when MU defeated DePaul 86-78 at the Al McGuire Center. Current Connecticut Sun standout and former All-BIG EAST selection Natisha Hiedeman netted 28 points and shot 6-of-10 from downtown in the win.
• In 2020, MU lost 88-74 to DePaul despite shooting 58 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles had 27 turnovers on the game. Selena Lott scored 26 points and Lauren Van Kleunen had 22 to lead MU.
• Marquette fell 74-73 to the Blue Demons in the 2019 title game. A Chante Stonewall go-ahead 3-point play with 5.4 seconds left stunned then No. 13 MU. Selena Lott scored 13 points in the game.
• MU fell 98-63 in the 2018 title game to DePaul. Lott had eight points and seven boards while LVK had three points.

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 6.8 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 1,174 points and ranks No. 24 all-time at MU.
• Lauren Van Kleunen hit 1,000 career points on March 7 against Creighton. She ranks No. 30 all-time at MU with 1,010 career points.
• Lott (375 assists) also ranks No. 10 all-time in that category at MU. She passed Allazia Blockton (366) on March 6 against Providence.
• Selena Lott is a career 35.3% 3-point shooter, which ranks 7th all-time at MU. She's 31/93 (33%) from downtown this season. She ranks No. 12 all-time at MU with 131 3-pointers made in her career.
• Lott is 9th all-time in Golden Eagles history in steals. She has 218 right now, four out of eighth place.

MOHEGAN SUN HOSTING BIG EAST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
• The BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep is being 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?
• Marquette will play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Selection Monday will take place on Monday, March 15, when the Golden Eagles will figure out who and when they play.

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).