WBB Concludes Road Trip at Providence Friday

Full Notes (PDF)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Marquette women's basketball team (18-9, 11-7 BIG EAST) wraps up a four-game road trip this weekend as it takes on Providence (11-16, 6-12 BIG EAST) on Friday night. The Golden Eagles and Friars will tip-off at 6 p.m. (CT) at Alumni Hall in Providence, Rhode Island. The game will be broadcast by BEDN on FloHoops, with Mike Mancuso (play-by-play), Pam Roecker (analyst) and Ashley Liotus (sideline) on the call. Live stats are available at GoMarquette.com.

The Golden Eagles enter the contest 18-9 on the year with an 11-7 mark in BIG EAST play to sit fifth in the league standings with just two games left to play. Most recently, MU suffered a 69-38 loss at No 7 UConn on Wednesday night in Hartford, Connecticut.

Providence enters the contest with an 11-16 overall record and 6-12 league mark, currently sitting eighth in the BIG EAST standings. The Friars have dropped back-to-back contests, most recently suffering a 68-62 overtime loss at St John's on Sunday.

The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series against Providence 21-5, and have won 10-straight in the series. MU came out on top in the teams' first meeting this season, a 61-59 decision in Milwaukee on Feb. 4. The Friars had possession with a chance to win at the end of the game, but Marquette intercepted a pass into the post at the buzzer to seal the win.

Providence has been led this season by the stellar play of Janai Crooms. The junior guard leads the squad in points (13.8), rebounds (7.7) assists (3.7) and steals (1.5) per contest. She also ranks third in the BIG EAST with 121 free throw attempts. The Friars are coached by Jim Crowley, in his sixth season with the program.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS

• Providence enters the contest with an 11-16 overall record including a 6-12 mark in BIG EAST matchups.

• The Friars have dropped back-to-back games, most recently suffering a 68-62 overtime loss at St. John's on Sunday afternoon.

• In 2020-21, Providence finished the season 7-14 with a 4-10 record in league play. It was picked eighth in this year's BIG EAST preseason poll.

• The Friars have a 6-10 record at Alumni Hall this season.

• Junior guard Janai Crooms has been the squad's statistical leader this season, leading the team in points (13.8), rebounds (7.7) assists (3.7) and steals (1.5) per contest. She also ranks third in the BIG EAST with 121 free throw attempts.

• Providence ranks second in the nation in blocked shots per game with 6.1, and leads the conference in field goal defense (36.8 percent).

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PROVIDENCE

• Friday's game will mark the 26th all-time meeting between Marquette and Providence, a series which began in 2006.

• MU has won nine-straight and 14 of the past 15 games in the series.

• Last season, MU won 89-40 in Milwaukee and 73-52 in Providence. The teams also met in the second round of the BIG EAST tournament, a 68-43 MU win.

• Marquette is 9-3 all-time against the Friars in Milwaukee.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 38-16 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 61-24 overall mark (.718) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 51-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 36-3 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 85 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent in 71 of those games.

EARLIER THIS SEASON

• Marquette posted a 61-59 win over Providence at the Al McGuire Center on Feb. 4.

• In a game which came down to the wire, the Golden Eagles capitalized on excellent rebounding, winning the battle on the glass 44-30 led by Liza Karlen's 10.

• With a two-point advantage and the clock winding down, Karissa McLaughlin came up with a steal on a pass into the post with under a second left in the contest to seal the win.

• MU was led by Lauren Van Kleunen, who finished with 19 points and eight boards. Jordan King had 16 points, while Karissa McLaughlin went for 14 points and seven assists.

• Providence was led by Janai Crooms, who had 16 points, five boards and five assists.

COMING INTO THE HOMESTRETCH

• The 2022 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament will take place March 4-7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

• With most teams having just two games remaining, only the top seed (UConn) has been locked in at this point, with the rest of the team placements still to be determined.

• Marquette is guaranteed either the 4, 5 or 6-seed, depending on remaining outcomes.

• If MU goes either 2-0 or 1-1 over the next two games, it is guaranteed the 4 or 5-seed and a first-round matchup with either Villanova or DePaul at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 5.

• If MU goes 0-2 and Seton Hall goes 2-0, it would be the 6-seed and play at 3 p.m. (CT) on Friday, March 4.

WALKER FINDING HER STRIDE

• MU junior guard Antwainette Walker is playing some of the best basketball of her career, and has made a big impact off the bench in the most recent stretch of games.

• Walker has scored in double figures in three of the past five games, something she had done just one time through 56 career games prior to that.

• In the first 16 games this season, Walker averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest. In the past five games, she averages 8.4 points and 4.6 boards.

• During that stretch, she has posted single-game career high marks in field goals made (4), field goals attempted (8), free throws made (6), rebounds (9), blocks (2) and minutes (27).

LAST TIME OUT

• Marquette suffered a 69-38 loss at No. 7 UConn on Wednesday in Hartford, Connecticut.

• In what was the second meeting in a 10-day span between the Golden Eagles and the Huskies, MU was unable to overcome a slow start to the contest as UConn held it to just 29 percent (6-of-21) shooting in the first half while forcing 12 turnovers.

• This was Marquette's lowest scoring output of the season.

• Marquette was led by Lauren Van Kleunen, who finished with 12 points.