WBB Opens Three-Game Road Trip at No. 8 UConn

STORRS, Connecticut — The Marquette women's basketball team (9-4, 2-2 BIG EAST) begins a three-game road trip this weekend on New Year's Eve as it travels east to face No. 8 UConn (10-2, 3-0 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Dec. 31. The Golden Eagles and the Huskies will tip-off at 1 p.m. (CT) from Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The game will be broadcast by SNY, with Allen Bestwick (play-by-play), Meghan Culmo (analyst) and Maria Marino (sideline) on the call. Link to live statistics is available on GoMarquette.com.

In the team's most recent outing on Wednesday, Marquette dropped a BIG EAST battle at home against RV Villanova, 54-52. The Golden Eagles fell short in a defensive showcase despite a career night from senior guard Jordan King. MU held the Wildcats to just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) shooting from the floor, while King recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

The Huskies enter the contest ranked eighth in the most recent AP Poll with a 10-2 record and a 3-0 start to BIG EAST play. The 2021-22 NCAA Tournament runners-up, UConn is an unblemished 6-0 at home this year. Most recently, it posted a 72-47 win on the road over No. 21 Creighton on Wednesday evening.

UConn is led in scoring by sophomore guard Azzi Fudd, who was averaging 20.6 points before missing the past five games with injury. Graduate forward Dorka Juhász averages a team-best 11.6 rebounds per game, while junior guard Nika Mühl leads the nation with 9.9 assists per outing.

Marquette and UConn have met up 15 times in a series which began in 2006, the Huskies winning each meeting. UConn swept the three meetings between the squads last season, winning in Milwaukee 72-58, in Hartford 69-38 and in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals 71-51.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

• Villanova enters Saturday's contest ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll with a 10-2 record and a 3-0 start to BIG EAST play.

• In 2021-22 the Huskies were the NCAA Tournament runners up after a 30-6 campaign and a 16-1 league record to win the BIG EAST title.

• Both of UConn's losses this season came during the Jimmy V Women's Classic, falling to No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 20 Maryland.

• UConn is 6-0 at home this season.

• The team has been led in scoring by sophomore guard Azzi Fudd, who was averaging 20.6 points before missing the past five games with injury. Graduate forward Dorka Juhász averages a team-best 11.6 rebounds per game, while junior guard Nika Mühl leads the nation with 9.9 assists per outing.

• The Huskies lead the NCAA with 21.4 assists per game, and rank 2nd and 3rd nationally in field goal percentage (52.0) and 3-point percentage (41.5), respectively.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UCONN

• Saturday's meeting will be the 16th all-time between Marquette and UConn, a series which began in 2006.

• UConn has won all 16 games in the series.

• The Huskies swept last year's season series winning in Milwaukee 72-58, in Hartford 69-38 and in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals 71-51.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 42-18 against BIG EAST opponents under Coach Duffy.

• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through four seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 75-30 overall mark (.714) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 63-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 46-6 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 42-4 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 50-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 105 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 86 times.

KING DOES IT ALL

• In her senior campaign, Jordan King is playing the best basketball of her career and has been a diverse, do-it-all guard who is making significant contributions in nearly every statistical category.

• King is one of just 11 players in all of NCAA Division I who are currently averaging at least 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

• She is also shooting at career-best clips from the field (.420), behind the 3-point arc (.429) and at the free throw line (.789), and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with 2.2 steals per contest.

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

• After one of its best non-conference showings in program history, Marquette now enters BIG EAST play for the rest of the way.

• The BIG EAST has proven itself as one of the top women's basketball conferences in the country this season, going a combined 80-25 in non-conference play.

• The Golden Eagles' post-Christmas league slate opens with four-straight games against teams who made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, as they will host Villanova before heading on the road to face UConn, DePaul and Creighton.

• The four opponents MU faces during this stretch were the top four seeds in last year's conference tournament, and together combined for a record of 99-36 in 2021-22.

BIG EAST SHOWING OUT

• As a conference, the BIG EAST is out to one of its strongest starts in years and has established itself as one of the top leagues in the country this season.

• With the majority of non-conference play in the rear view, BIG EAST teams have gone a combined 80-25 (.762) against non-conference opponents.

• Six different BIG EAST teams have been ranked in the AP Poll at some point during this season, while seven have received votes in the poll. In the most recent poll there were five teams (UConn, Creighton, St. John's, Villanova, Marquette) either in the rankings or receiving votes.

ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR KING

• Recording her 400th career assist during the Jan. 18 win over Butler, Jordan King became just the eighth player in Marquette women's basketball program history to record 1,000 points and 400 assists in a career.

• King hit the 1,000 point milestone earlier this season on Dec. 4 at Seton Hall.

• She currently ranks 28th in MU scoring history with 1,083 points and ninth in assists with 407.

• Additionally, King is one of just 29 active players in Division I women's basketball with 1,000 career points and 400 career assists.

UP NEXT FOR MU

• The Golden Eagles remain on the road as they travel to Chicago, Illinois, next week to face DePaul on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. CT.

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

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Players Mentioned

Jordan King