Marquette Takes Down Creighton 50-47

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (17-5, 10-3 BIG EAST) used a late fourth-quarter push to secure a 50-47 win over Creighton Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.

"I couldn't be more thrilled about our performance this afternoon, beating a really, really good Creighton team," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "Our defense kept us in the game, we made some great plays down the stretch to execute. I thought overall our team stayed connected and played for each other when at times it was hard to buy a basket for both teams."

In a game which came right down to the closing seconds, Creighton (16-7, 11-4 BIG EAST) led by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter before the Golden Eagles were able to make a late comeback. Marquette closed the game on an 8-0 scoring run while holding the Bluejays scoreless through the final 2:50 of action.

With 1:10 remaining in the game, junior guard Jordan King hit a jumper to give MU its first lead since midway through the first quarter. After a steal by sophomore guard Liza Karlen and a pair of missed free throws, Marquette was able to maintain possession as Creighton tipped the rebound out of play. Graduate guard Karissa McLaughlin then hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game, and a Karlen block on a 3-point attempt on the other end sealed the victory.

Along with the game-sealing block, Karlen finished with a career-high 20 points as well as seven rebounds. Junior guard Chloe Marotta led the team on the glass as she tied her season high of 12 boards.

The Jays were held to just 33.9 percent (20-of-59) in the contest, while their 47 points were a season-low.

Creighton was led by Morgan Maly, who came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points.

Marquette established an 8-5 lead at the 4:28 mark of the first quarter, and didn't lead again until the 1:10 minute of the fourth quarter (48-47).
The Golden Eagles finished on an 8-0 run over the final 2:50 of play.
Karlen's 20 points were a career high.
This was Marotta's eighth-career double-figure rebounding performance, and fifth of the season. Her 12 boards tied a season-high.
Van Kleunen moved into 17th on Marquette's all-time career scoring list, passing Heidi Ach (1987-91). She currently has 1,343 career points.
Van Kleunen also moved into tied for 12th all-time in career rebounds, matching Sarina Simmons (2009-13) with 729.
This was the 10th time this season that Marquette has held an opponent under 50 points.
Creighton's Rachel Saunders fouled out with :06 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Marquette has now won six-straight games, its longest winning streak of the season.
Marquette now holds a 12-1 mark at home this season, and a 33-6 record at home under Coach Duffy.
With the win, Marquette narrowed the gap in the all-time series with Creighton, and now trails 13-15. Marquette has won five of the past six meetings.

UP NEXT: Marquette travels east for a rematch with Villanova on Friday, Feb. 11 at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and the game will be broadcast on FloHoops.

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).