WBB Returns Home To Face Saint Francis Sunday

MILWAUKEE — The #RV/25 Marquette women's basketball team (5-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) returns home for a single game this weekend, as it plays host to Saint Francis (0-5, 0-0 NEC). The Golden Eagles and the Red Flash will tip-off at 2 p.m. (CT) from the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The game will be broadcast by FloHoops, with Bob Brainerd (play-by-play) and Michelle Griffin Wenzel (analyst) on the call. Live stats and stream links are available at GoMarquette.com.

Marquette is coming off of a strong week in The Bahamas, where it made a run to the Battle 4 Atlantis title game. There, the Golden Eagles took down #3 Texas in the first round 68-61, the highest-ranked win in program history. They then faced RV Gonzaga in the semifinals, earning a 70-66 victory before falling in overtime in the championship game against #20 UCLA.

The Red Flash come to Milwaukee in search of their first win of the season, entering the contest 0-5 with losses coming to Robert Morris, #25 Michigan, Xavier, Towson and Morgan State. Their most recent contest came down to the wire, a 50-49 loss on the road to Morgan State.

This year's Saint Francis squad has been led statistically by junior guard Filippa Goula, who averages team-best marks in scoring (8.6) and assists (3.8). Milwaukee native Aaliyah Moore leads the team with 8.4 boards per game. The Red Flash are coached by Keila Wittington, in her fourth year at the head of the program.

Marquette and Saint Francis have met up three times all-time, the Golden Eagles leading the series 2-1 with wins in the past to matchups. The most recent meeting came back on Nov. 15, 2016, a 104-91 win for Marquette at home. Against NEC teams, MU is 7-1 all-time including a win earlier this season over 2021-22 NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH

• Saint Francis enters Sunday's game in search of its first win of the year after getting off to an 0-5 start to the campaign.

• In 2022-23 the Red Flash went 8-22 overall with all eight wins coming against league competition to finish sixth in the Northeast Conference.

• So far this season, Saint Francis has faced Robert Morris, #25 Michigan, Xavier, Towson and Morgan State.

• Saint Francis squad has been led statistically by junior guard Filippa Goula, who averages team-best marks in scoring (8.6) and assists (3.8). Milwaukee native Aaliyah Moore leads the team with 8.4 boards per game.

• The Red Flash have been outscored this season by an average score of 67.2-46.2. They currently rank last (349th) in the nation with a -12.8 turnover margin.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAINT FRANCIS

• Sunday's meeting will be the fourth all-time between Marquette and Saint Francis.

• Marquette leads the all-time series 2-1, with wins in each of the past two meetings.

• The most recent contest between the sides came on Nov. 15, 2016, a 104-91 win for MU in Milwaukee.

• Against NEC teams, Marquette is 7-1 all-time including a win earlier this season over 2021-22 NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson.

All-Time Meetings

DATE LOCATION RESULT SCORE

11/15/16 H L 62-64

11/14/09 H W 74-38

11/15/16 H W 104-91

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 26-8 against non-conference opponents under Coach Duffy.

• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through three seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 71-27 overall mark (.725) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 59-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 42-5 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 39-4 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 49-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 98 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 81 times.

A SUCCESSFUL TRIP TO PARADISE

• Marquette improved to 5-1 on the season with a 2-1 mark last week at the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas.

• The Golden Eagles entered as one of just two teams in the eight-team field who were not receiving votes in the AP Poll, and made a run all the way to the championship game, where they fell in overtime 66-58 to #20 UCLA.

• In the opening round of the tournament, MU defeated #3 Texas 68-61 to earn its highest-ranked win in program history behind career-best scoring performances from Jordan King (25 points) and Rose Nkumu (16 points).

• Facing off in the semifinal round against RV Gonzaga, Marquette used stifling defense down the stretch to hold the Zags without a field goal for the final 7:47 of action to earn a 70-66 win.

A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUAL HONORS

• Along with their team success in The Bahamas, the Golden Eagles also placed a pair of players on the All-Tournament Team as Chloe Marotta and Jordan King earned individual honors.

• The senior duo led Marquette in the tournament, Marotta averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while King went for 16.0 points, 3.7 boards and 2.3 assists per outing.

• Along with the tournament honors, King was also named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending Nov. 20. During the week, which included the games against #3 Texas and RV Gonzaga, King averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

DOING IT AGAINST THE BEST

• Marquette's early season success has been impressive not just because of the number of wins, but because of the competition it is winning against.

• Four of MU's five wins this season have come against 2021-22 conference champions. It has taken down FDU (Northeast Conference), Holy Cross (Patriot League), Texas (Big 12) and Gonzaga (WCC).

• Taking losses to Marquette out of the equation, MU's opponents so far this season have combined for a 21-6 overall record.

IN THE POLLS

• After a performance in The Bahamas which included strong outings against three teams that were either in or receiving votes in the AP Top 25, Marquette is beginning to receive attention from the national media and coaches.

• The Golden Eagles make their season debut in the WBCA Coaches Poll at No. 25, their first appearance since the final poll of 2019.

• MU also received votes in the AP Poll, currently sitting as the second team out of the mix, receiving 65 votes. The team's most recent AP Poll appearance was also the final week of the 2019 season.

BIG EAST SHOWING UP BIG TIME

• With the first week of conference play looming, the BIG EAST has proven itself as one of the strongest women's basketball leagues in the country this season.

• Along with Marquette, three other teams are currently ranked as UConn sits at No. 3, Creighton at No. 16 and Villanova at No. 23.

• Through games on Friday afternoon, BIG EAST teams are a combined 41-12 (.774) in non-conference play.

• Against Top-25 teams, the league is a combined 7-1 this year, the only loss being Marquette's loss to #20 UCLA in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game.

• The BIG EAST also boasts the three top individual scorers in the nation with DePaul's Aneesah Morrow (31.5), UConn's Azzi Fudd (30.0) and Villanova's Maddy Siegrist (29.0).

WHAT'S ON TAP?

• The Golden Eagles will hit the road for a pair of games to begin BIG EAST play next week as they travel to Georgetown on Friday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m., before taking on Seton Hall on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 12 p.m.

• Both games will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops, with links to the stream and live stats available on GoMarquette.com.