WBB To Face Toledo in WNIT Third Round

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (23-10, 13-7 BIG EAST) continues its run in the Postseason WNIT on Thursday as it hosts the Toledo Rockets (28-5, 19-1 MAC) in the third round of the 64-team tournament. The Golden Eagles and Rockets will tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT) from the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The game will be broadcast on FloHoops, with Patrick Reed (play-by-play) and Michelle Griffin-Wenzel (analyst) on the call. Live stats are available at GoMarquette.com.

The Golden Eagles come into the matchup with a 23-10 overall record after going 13-7 in league play to place fifth in the conference standings. The BIG EAST's automatic bid into the tournament, Marquette defeated Ball State in the opening round of the WNIT before defeating Purdue on Monday in a 77-62 decision. MU used a career-high 27-point performance from Lauren Van Kleunen to help secure the win and move on.

Toledo went 28-5 on the year with a 19-1 record in league play to win the MAC regular season title and earn the top seed in the conference tournament. There, it was upset in the semifinal round by 5-seed Ball State 71-66.

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Marquette and Toledo, and the first since 2012, the Golden Eagles holding a 4-1 edge. MU is making its 10th appearance in the WNIT this season. The Golden Eagles are 16-9 in WNIT games historically, and 9-2 in WNIT games played at home.

Toledo has been led this season by junior guard/forward Quinesha Lockett, who is averaging a team-best 17.5 points to go along with 5.6 boards and 2.9 assists per game. The Rockets are coached by 2022 MAC Coach of the Year Tricia Cullop, in her 14th season at the head of the program.

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS

• Toledo won the MAC regular season title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament after posting a 28-5 overall record and a 19-1 mark in league play.

• The Rockets were upset in the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament, falling to Ball State 71-66.

• In the first round of the WNIT, Toledo secured a 61-51 win over Houston Baptist. It then faced Kent State at home on Monday, a 79-59 win.

• Four of Toledo's five losses this season have come away from home.

• The Rockets have been led this season by All-MAC First Team guard/forward Quinesha Lockett, who is averaging 17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.

• Toledo ranks 11th nationally in defensive rebounds per game with 29.6, and is 17th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game with 12.5.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST TOLEDO

• Monday's meeting will be the sixth all-time between Marquette and Toledo, a series which began in 2003.

• The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 4-1.

• The two squads met in the first round of the 2003 WNIT, a 65-54 win for Marquette.

• Marquette is 17-15 all-time against current MAC programs.

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 21-6 against non-conference opponents under Coach Duffy.

• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through three seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 66-25 overall mark (.725) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 55-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 39-4 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 35-3 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 46-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 91 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 76 times.

ABOUT THE WNIT

• The Postseason WNIT, in its 24th season, is a tournament which features 64 NCAA Division I women's basketball teams from across the country.

• In a single-elimination bracket, each game will be played on campus sites with one of the two teams hosting.

• The tournament will conclude with its championship game on Saturday, April 2, with the title game being broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

• The 64-team field includes 32 teams that receive automatic berths and 32 at-large selections. The automatic bid for each conference goes to the team with the highest finish in their conference standings that didn't make the NCAA Tournament.

GOLDEN EAGLES IN THE WNIT

• Making their 10th all-time appearance in the WNIT, the Golden Eagles have a strong history in the tournament.

• Marquette won the 2008 WNIT title, posting an 81-66 win over Michigan State in the championship game.

• Two years prior in 2006, MU was the tournament's runner-up.

• Marquette has hosted a total of 11 WNIT games, and has a 9-2 record in those.

• This is the team's first WNIT appearance since 2014, and its first time reaching at least the third round since 2008.

VAN KLEUNEN NAMED TO ALL-LEAGUE TEAM

• In what is the final season of her six-year Marquette career, Lauren Van Kleunen was recognized by the league as she earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors.

• Marquette's record holder for career games played with 157, Van Kleunen had her best statistical season this year as she led the team with 13.2 points to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in the regular season.

• She shot an efficient 47.4 percent (161-of-340) from the floor, sixth in the BIG EAST.

• Van Kleunen was twice named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this season, and was a member of the Daytona Beach Invitational All-Tournament Team.

• This was her second-straight year being recognized by the league, after earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors and receiving the Sportsmanship Award in 2020-21.

MAROTTA EARNS SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

• A leader both on the court and in the Marquette and Milwaukee communities, Chloe Marotta is the recipient of this year's BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

• Marotta serves as the president of Marquette's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

• A Milwaukee native herself, Marotta has logged countless of hours of community service with various local organizations, and has given back to the area's youth by taking place in free basketball clinics for youth and reading to kids in local schools.

• On the court, she started all 29 games for MU this year while averaging 5.8 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game in the regular season.

• Marquette's Lauren Van Kleunen earned the Sportsmanship Award last season.

REACHING HISTORIC HEIGHTS

• With 159 games played during her time at Marquette, Lauren Van Kleunen has become one of the longest-tenured players in the history of women's college basketball.

• Van Kleunen currently ranks tied for four all-time in NCAA Division I history in career games played.

• No player in any sport in Marquette history has competed in the blue and gold more than LVK. After redshirting in 2016-17, she has only missed one game and MU has a 116-43 record in contests that she's played in.

CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME RANKS

• While having the best statistical season of her career, Lauren Van Kleunen continues to move up several career leaderboards for Marquette.

• At Georgetown on Feb. 18, Van Kleunen moved into the top-10 on MU's all-time rebounding list. She currently has 797 career boards, ninth all-time.

• LVK currently ranks 14th all-time in scoring with 1,492 career points.

• She is just eight points and three boards from becoming just the sixth ever Marquette player with 1,500 career points and 800 career rebounds.