WBB Loses to Villanova 58-55

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (11-5, 4-3 BIG EAST) dropped its first home game of the season Sunday afternoon, falling to Villanova, 58-55.

"I'm just a little disappointed with this afternoon's game," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "I didn't feel like we put a full 40 minutes together. We knew it was going to be kind of a grind it out kind of game, and we needed to be better on both sides of the ball."

After narrowly leading for the majority of the first three quarters, Marquette entered the fourth with a two-point deficit. Villanova (9-6, 3-3 BIG EAST) gained momentum early in the final period to open up a 10-point lead with 5:00 remaining, when MU made a push of its own with a 9-0 run.

The Golden Eagles had two opportunities for game-tying 3-pointers late in the contest, but both missed the mark and the comeback attempt fell short as Marquette suffered its first loss of the season at the Al McGuire Center.

Marquette's scoring and rebounding efforts were led by sophomore guard Jordan King, who finished with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and six boards. Graduate forward Lauren Van Kleunen also reached double-figures, going for 11 points and a career-high tying six assists.

The Wildcats were led by Maddy Siegrist, who went for 19 points.

Marquette led at the half, 31-30, after shooting an efficient 51.9 percent (14-of-27) through the first two quarters.
This is just the second time under Coach Duffy that Marquette has lost a game after leading at the half (44-2 record).
Jordan King led all MU scorers with 14 points, her 10th double-figure scoring performance of the season.
Lauren Van Kleunen tied her career-high with six assists.
Chloe Marotta fouled out of the game with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Marquette's largest lead came at the 4:07 mark of the first quarter, going up 13-5.
With the loss, Marquette is now 18-11 all-time against Villanova.

UP NEXT: Marquette heads on the road for a pair of games next week, beginning on Friday, Jan. 21, when it takes on Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast by BEDN on FloHoops.

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).