#MUWBB to Play Creighton in BIG EAST Semis

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Marquette women's basketball team continues BIG EAST tournament play on Sunday, March 7 at 5 p.m. Central time as the No. 2-seeded Golden Eagles will take on No. 6 -seeded Creighton Bluejays. FS1 will provide television coverage.

The Golden Eagles (18-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) have won six of their past seven games with the only loss in that stretch coming at No. 1 UConn on March 1.

MU is anchored by seniors Selena Lott (14.7 ppg.) and Lauren Van Kleunen (13.2 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 conferences Sportsmanship Award.

Sophomore forward Camryn Taylor (11.9 ppg., 6.9 reb) made All-BIG EAST honorable mention.

Joining Lott, Taylor and Van Kleunen in the starting lineup are sophomore guard Jordan King (9.6 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 will be appearing in its fifth straight BIG EAST tournament semifinal game and they hope to make their fifth straight title game. 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 semifinal opponent on Sunday evening will be the Creighton Bluejays (9-10, 6-7 BIG EAST), who have won two straight games in Uncasville to advance to the semis. CU defeated No. 3 seeded Seton Hall 83-76 Saturday night and No. 11 Georgetown 56-42 on Friday. The Golden Eagles defeated Creighton 66-53 (away) and 65-41 (home) in their two matchups in 2020-21.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
The game will be televised on FS1 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. 6 Creighton (9-10, 6-7 BIG EAST)
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Conn.
Sunday, March 7
5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET
FS1/FOX Sports App

LAST TIME OUT
• The Marquette women's basketball team defeated the Providence Friars 68-43 in the BIG EAST tournament quarterfinals on Saturday night.
• Redshirt senior Lauren Van Kleunen had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles (18-5, 14-4 BIG EAST) to their 10th win in their past 13 conference tournament games. Camryn Taylor added 12 points and five boards while Selena Lott chipped in seven points, nine assists and six rebounds.
• For the game, MU held the Friars to just 30 percent (15/50) shooting from the floor and 23.5 percent (4/17) from 3-point range while winning the battle on the glass 46-22.

SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS – ALL-TIME SERIES
• As a group, CU brought back nine players from 2019-20, with a combined 4,207 minutes and 1,183 points.
• For CU in 2020-21, health and injury challenges have forced head coach Jim Flanery to use over 10 unique starting lineups in 19 games. No group of five has started more than three games this season.
• The Bluejays are coming off two straight wins in the BIG EAST tournament with victories over No. 11 seed Georgetown (56-42) and No. 3 seed Seton Hall (83-76).
• Temi Carda is the team leader in scoring and assists with 15.7 ppg and 3.4 assists per game.
• A few key players to watch for the Bluejays are freshmen Emma Ronsiek (11.6 ppg) and Morgan Maly (7.8 ppg.).
• The Bluejays lead the all-time series 14-11 over Marquette, but MU has won five of the last seven.

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 1,147 points.
• The Golden Eagles are 32-1 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 22-1 when they turn the ball over fewer times than their opponent.
• In the 55 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 this weekend.

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Golden Eagles are 17-14 all-time in the BIG EAST tournament. Since 2017, however, MU is 10-3 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 6.9 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 1,147 points and ranks No. 24 all-time at MU. Lauren Van Kleunen is just six points away from hitting that threshold after scoring 17 points last night.
• Lott (374 assists) ranks No. 10 all-time in that category at MU and she passed Allazia Blockton (366) last night.
• Selena Lott is a career 35.4% 3-point shooter, which ranks 7th all-time at MU. She's 30/89 (34%) 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 217 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?
With a win Sunday, Marquette will play in the BIG EAST tournament finals Monday night against the winner of No. 1 UConn and No. 5-seeded Villanova. FS1 will provide television 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).