WBB Faces DePaul on Road Wednesday

FULL NOTES (PDF)

CHICAGO, Ill. — The Marquette women's basketball team (17-7, 10-5 BIG EAST) opens a four-game road trip this week, beginning with a trip to Chicago to take on rival DePaul (20-7, 12-4 BIG EAST) on Wednesday evening. The Golden Eagles and Blue Demons will tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT) at Wintrust Arena. The game will be broadcast by BEDN on FloHoops with Dave Bernhard (play-by-play), Patricia Babcock-McGraw (analyst) and Meghan Caffrey (sideline) on the call. Live stats are available at GoMarquette.com.

The Golden Eagles enter the contest 17-7 on the year with a 10-5 mark in BIG EAST play to sit third in the league standings. After winning six-straight games, MU has suffered back-to-back losses, most recently a 72-58 loss on Sunday to No. 8 UConn.

Currently in third place in the BIG EAST, the Blue Demons boast a 20-7 overall record with a 12-4 mark in conference play. DePaul had dropped two of its past three games before posting a 105-104 2OT win at Georgetown on Sunday afternoon.

The most played rivalry in Marquette's history, this will its 80th all-time meeting with the Blue Demons. DePaul leads the series 48-31, though MU has wins in three of the past five meetings. In the season's first matchup, Marquette won an 88-85 overtime thriller led by Karissa McLaughlin's 24 points. MU is 7-28 all-time against the Blue Demons in Chicago.

DePaul has been led this season by Naismith National Player of the Year candidate Aneesah Morrow. The freshman forward is averaging 20.9 points and 13.7 boards per game. As a team, DePaul leads the nation with 89.6 points per contest. The Blue Demons are coached by Doug Bruno, in his 34th season with the program.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS

• DePaul enters the matchup with an overall record of 20-7, including a 12-4 mark in BIG EAST matchups. It currently sits third in the conference standings.

• Most recently, the Blue Demons posted a 105-102 2OT win at Georgetown on Sunday. Prior to that game, they had dropped two of the previous three contests with losses to UConn and Creighton.

• DePaul has been led this season by Naismith National Player of the Year candidate Aneesah Morrow. The freshman forward is averaging 20.9 points and 13.7 boards per game, ranking second and first in the BIG EAST, respectively. She also leads the league in both steals (73) and blocks (51) this season.

• With one of the most fast-paced offenses in the country, DePaul averages an NCAA-leading 89.6 points per game. It also ranks third nationally in assists per game (19.4), and 17th in field goal percentage (.456).

ALL-TIME SERIES VS DEPAUL

• Wednesday's game will mark the 80th all-time meeting between Marquette and DePaul, a series which spans back to 1978.

• This is MU's most-played rivalry.

• The Blue Demons lead the all-time series, 48-31.

• The teams faced off twice last season, each team earning a win on the other's home court.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 37-14 in conference action under Coach Duffy.

• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through three seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 60-22 overall mark (.732) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 50-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 35-3 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 31-3 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 42-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 82 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent in 69 of those games (53-17 record).

EARLIER THIS SEASON

• Marquette and DePaul matched up on Jan. 12 at the Al McGuire Center, an 88-85 thrilling overtime win for the Golden Eagles.

• With the game tied at 73 apiece, Marquette had a baseline inbound with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation. An inbound pass from Chloe Marotta to Lauren Van Kleunen was tipped in at the buzzer, but after review the shot was waived off.

• In overtime, Karissa McLaughlin scored 11 of the team's 15 points, including an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line, to help secure the win. She led MU with 24 points.

• DePaul, averaging 92.1 points per game at the time, was held to 73 points in regulation.

• Marquette shot 45.8 percent (33-of-72) from the field.

• The Blue Demons were led by Aneesah Morrow's 21 points and 17 rebounds.

MCLAUGHLIN FROM DEEP

• Karissa McLaughlin transferred to Marquette after climbing to the top of Purdue's all-time 3-point shooting leaderboard, and has made an impact from behind the arc for the Golden Eagles.

• The graduate guard is having one of the best 3-point shooting seasons in program history. She currently ranks second in the BIG EAST (17th nationally) in 3-point percentage at 42.3%, and fourth in the league (44th nationally) with 2.5 triples per game.

• McLaughlin accounts for 74.1 percent of the team's made three's this year.

• 59.4 % of her made shots this season have come behind the arc.

DECEMBER GAME VS UCONN RESCHEDULED

• Marquette's game against UConn, originally scheduled for Dec. 29 but postponed due to COVID health and safety protocols, has been rescheduled by the BIG EAST.

• The game will now take place on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

• Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. (CT), and the game will be televised on SNY.

LAST TIME OUT

• Marquette dropped just its second home game of the season on Sunday afternoon, dropping a 72-58 decision to No. 8 UConn.

• After holding tight with the Huskies for the majority of the game, and holding a 47-45 advantage entering the final quarter, Marquette was outscored 27-11 in the final period. UConn hadn't led by more than four at any point through the first three quarters.

• Three different MU players scored in double-figures, led by Liza Karlen's 15-point, nine-rebound performance.

• 54 of the team's 58 points were scored by its starting unit. The Marquette bench didn't get on the board until there was under a minute left in the contest.

• UConn was led by Azzi Fudd, who finished with a game-high 24 points, 11 of those coming in the fourth.