WBB Hosts Holy Cross on Friday

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) continues its 2022-23 campaign on Friday evening as it plays host to Holy Cross (1-0, 0-0 Patriot League). The Golden Eagles and the Crusaders will tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT) from the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The game will be broadcast on FloHoops, with Bob Brainerd (play-by-play) and Michelle Griffin-Wenzel (analyst) on the call. Live stats are available at GoMarquette.com.

The Golden Eagles opened the season on Monday afternoon with a 75-47 home win against Fairleigh Dickinson. MU was led by dominant individual performances from the duo of senior guard Jordan King and junior forward Liza Karlen. King went for a career-high 24 points while also dishing out eight assists and tying her career high with six steals, while Karlen posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 boards.

While Marquette lost two of its top contributors from a season ago in Karissa McLaughlin and Lauren Van Kleunen, it also returned three starters and welcomes in four newcomers, including one transfer and three true freshmen, who will look to make an immediate impact.

The Crusaders got out to a 1-0 start to the year with a road win over Merrimack on Monday, following a 2021-22 campaign which saw them go 20-11 overall with a 14-4 league mark to win the Patriot League regular season title. They fell in the WNIT first round to Columbia.

Holy Cross lost its top scorer and rebounder from last season's squad, Avery LaBarbera. Junior guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy is the top returning player after averaging 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds a season ago.

This will mark the second all-time meeting between Marquette and Holy Cross, the first coming as a 97-76 win for the Crusaders on Jan. 2, 1988.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

• Holy Cross won the 2021-22 Patriot League regular season title after going 14-4 against league competition. Overall, they had a 20-11 record on the year.

• The top-seeded Crusaders were upset in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament by Navy, 50-49. They then went on to the WNIT, where they faced Columbia in the first round, losing 80-69.

• The Crusaders went 8-6 away from home last season.

• Holy Cross lost several key players from a season ago, including leading scorer and rebounder Avery LaBarbera, but returns three starters. Junior guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy is the team's top returning scorer with 8.9 points per game.

• HC ranked 33rd nationally in opponent scoring last season, holding teams to just 56.5 points per outing. It also excelled in 3-point field goal defense (.278).

• In their season opener on Monday, the Crusaders took down Merrimack 67-39. Power-Cassidy led the team with 19 points, while the team forced 23 turnovers and shot 50.0 percent (28-of-56) from the floor.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST HOLY CROSS

• Friday's meeting will be the second all-time between Marquette and HC.

• The Crusaders won the only all-time meeting, a 97-76 result on Jan. 2, 1988.

• Marquette is 5-1 all-time against current Patriot League programs.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 22-7 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 67-26 overall mark (.720) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 55-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 40-5 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 36-4 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 47-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 93 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 78 times.

STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT

• Marquette got off to a strong start on Monday afternoon, opening its 2022-23 campaign with a 75-47 home win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

• MU was led by dominant performances by Jordan King and Liza Karlen. King scored a career-high 24 points and tied her career-high of six steals, while also dishing out eight assists. Karlen posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.

• After trailing 17-16 through one quarter, the Golden Eagles responded to out-score FDU 59-30 the rest of the way.

• Marquette outrebounded FDU 49-23, while also forcing 19 turnovers on 12 steals.

• All four newcomers made their MU debuts in the game, including starts by Nia Clark and Emily La Chapell.

KING NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM

• After posting the strongest statistical season of her college career last season, senior guard Jordan King was recognized as a member of the preseason all-BIG EAST team.

• The Rockton, Illinois, native led the team and ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in assists last season with 4.4 helpers per contest. She was also the third-leading scorer for MU as she averaged 11.5 points, while also pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game.

• King also had the most efficient shooting season of her career, shooting 41.0 percent (161-of-393) from the floor.

• King has started all 93 games that she's played during her college career, averaging at least 30 minutes per contest each season.

RETURNING IMPACT PLAYERS

• While Marquette did lose a handful of players from last year's team, including starters Lauren Van Kleunen and Karissa McLaughlin, Coach Duffy's squad brings back three starters and seven total letterwinners.

• Along with King, who started every game last season, MU also returns senior forward Chloe Marotta and junior forward Liza Karlen, who made 34 and 29 starts, respectively.

• The Golden Eagles will also rely on senior forward Kennedi Myles, junior guard Rose Nkumu, junior forward Julianna Okosun and sophomore guard Makiyah Williams to bring veteran leadership and stability to the squad.

NEW FACES EVERYWHERE

• Along with its returning players, MU will look for a handful of newcomers to make an immediate impact after bringing in a transfer and three true freshmen.

• Senior guard Nia Clark is the team's lone transfer addition. She spent the past three seasons at Xavier, and was the Musketeers' leading scorer last season with 11.7 points to go along with 2.4 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals per game. Prior to her time in Cincinnati, Clark played for Coach Duffy as a true freshman at Miami (OH) in 2018-19.

• Forward Charia Smith spent three years at Westerville (Ohio) North HS, before transferring to Northland HS in Columbus, Ohio, for her senior year. As a senior, she averaged a team-best 20.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

• Guard Mackenzie Hare proved to be one of the top prep scorers in the state of Illinois, playing first at Bartlett and then Naperville HS, finishing her high school career with 2,494 points and 398 made 3-pointers, fourth-most in Illinois state history.

• Guard Emily La Chapell was ranked a four-star prospect by ESPN, and the 23rd ranked guard and 77th ranked overall player in the 2022 recruiting class. She finished as Appleton East High School's all-time leading scorer with 1,885 points, and averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per contest her senior year.

WELCOME BACK, CLAIRE KAIFES

• Another player who will look to bring a veteran presence both on and off the court this season is senior guard Claire Kaifes.

• After missing the entire 2021-22 season with injury, Kaifes is healthy and ready to return to action. In 2020-21, she was one of the team's top reserves, playing in 26 contests and averaging 15.3 minutes per.

RELENTLESS GROWTH

• One of the most improved players in the BIG EAST last season, junior forward Liza Karlen will look to take the next step this season to establish herself as one of the league's top forwards.

• While starting 29 games last year, Karlen saw her averages jump from just 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman to 10.2 points and 7.2 boards per contest as a sophomore. She also led the team with 34 blocks on the year.

BAHAMAS BOUND

• Marquette is set to participate in one of the nation's premiere women's basketball tournaments when they travel to the Bahamas to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

• The tournament will have an eight-team field with each team playing three games between Nov. 19-21 in a bracket-style tournament.

• MU will face Texas in the first round, then depending on the results of that matchup will see either Louisville or Gonzaga on day two.

• Other teams in the field include Tennessee, Rutgers, UCLA and South Dakota State.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

• The Golden Eagles will remain at home this weekend, welcoming cross-town foe Milwaukee to the Al McGuire Center on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m.

• Marquette will then travel to The Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 19-21.

• Friday's contest will be broadcast on FloHoops, with live stats available on GoMarquette.com.

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