WBB Posts 79-75 Win Over St. John's on Senior Day

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (20-9, 13-7 BIG EAST) concluded its regular season Sunday afternoon inside the Al McGuire Center with a 79-75 win over St. John's.

"This was just an awesome win tonight on Senior Night to celebrate," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "I thought we were tremendous in keeping our poise and hanging in there. For us to play three games in five days at the end of the season that's a grind in and of itself. I was extremely pleased by the effort of our seniors, and we did just enough down the stretch."

In what was the final home contest of her 155-game collegiate career, graduate forward Lauren Van Kleunen had one of her finest performances in a Marquette uniform. The Mason, Ohio, native led MU with 22 points, including 10 down the stretch in the final quarter, while shooting an efficient 10-of-16 from the floor.

After getting off to a slow start and trailing by as many as seven points in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles used a strong response to regain control as they opened the second quarter on a 13-3 run and eventually took a 42-40 lead into the half.

Marquette used its best shooting quarter of the year in the fourth to pull away from the Red Storm, shooting 81.8 percent (9-of-11) in the period.

Graduate guard Karissa McLaughlin also had a memorable senior day, finishing the game with 19 points, while sophomore forward Liza Karlen filled the stat sheet with a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards to go along with six assists.

St. John's (11-18, 7-12 BIG EAST) was paced by the duo of Leilani Correa and Kadaja Bailey, each finishing with 22 points.

Marquette is now locked into the 5-seed in the BIG EAST Tournament next week, and will face 4-seed DePaul on Friday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. (CT) after a first-round bye.
The BIG EAST Tournament will take place March 4-7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
This was the 11th 20-plus point game of Van Kluenen's career, and fifth of the year.
Lauren Van Kleunen moved up a spot on Marquette's all-time career scoring list, passing Amani Wilborn (2015-19). She currently ranks 14th with 1,416 career points.
This was Liza Karlen's sixth-career double-double.
Antwainette Walker, who was also honored during the Senior Day ceremony, finished with five points, five boards, three assists and a career-high tying three steals.
As a team, Marquette recorded a season-high seven blocks in the game, led by Liza Karlen's three.
With the win, Marquette finishes the year 20-9 overall and 13-7 in BIG EAST play.
Marquette posted a 13-2 record at the Al McGuire Center this year.
St. John's Rayven Peeples fouled out with :54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Marquette is now 21-10 all-time vs St. John's, and has won eight-straight in the series.

UP NEXT: Marquette will travel to Uncasville, Connecticut, for the BIG EAST Tournament which will take place March 4-7 at Mohegan Sun Arena. It will face 4-seed DePaul in the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. (CT).

Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).