WBB Falls in BIG EAST Semifinals to No. 7 UConn 71-51

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Marquette women's basketball team (21-10, 13-7 BIG EAST) was eliminated from the BIG EAST Tournament in the semifinal round on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 7 UConn 71-51 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

"I thought that in the first quarter Connecticut came out and threw every punch, and we could barely handle it," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "After that first quarter we were pressing and doing a lot one-on-one, and I told our team, there's going to be opportunities for you to personally create. I thought when we got back to a little more of that, the efficiency of scoring the basketball improved for us."

The top-seeded Huskies got out to a strong start and never looked back after establishing a 22-6 lead in the first quarter. Despite Marquette's strong effort the rest of the way, keeping UConn to just a four-point advantage through the final three quarters (49-45), the Golden Eagles were unable to overcome the early deficit.

Graduate guard Karissa McLaughlin put on a strong performance in the contest as she scored a game-high 15 points including nine from behind the arc. She was joined in double-figures by junior guard Jordan King, who went for 12 points.

Liza Karlen and Lauren Van Kleunen each brought down a team-high six boards for MU.

UConn (24-5, 16-1 BIG EAST) was led by Evina Westbrook, who finished with a team-high 14 points.

Karissa McLaughin played all 40 minutes.
Finishing with 15 points, this was the 21st double-figure scoring game of the season for Karissa McLaughlin, and 87th of her career.
Finishing with 12 points, this was the 21st double-figure scoring game of the season for Jordan King as well, and 42nd of her career.
Marquette finished the game shooting 31.3 percent (20-of-63) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from 3-point range and 100.0 percent (6-of-6) at the free throw line.
Marquette forced 14 turnovers while committing 11.
With the loss, Marquette is now 0-15 all-time against UConn.
This loss snaps a streak of five-straight BIG EAST Championship game appearances by the Golden Eagles.

UP NEXT: Marquette will await the decision of the NCAA Selection Committee to determine its next contest and opponent. Fields for the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and WNIT will be announced on Sunday, March 13.

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