Marquette University
Butler
WBB Heads on the Road to Play Butler
1/27/2023 12:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles look for season sweep over Bulldogs
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The Marquette women's basketball team (13-7, 6-5 BIG EAST) hits the road for back-to-back contests, beginning this weekend as it faces Butler (7-14, 2-10 BIG EAST) on Sunday, Jan. 29. The Golden Eagles and the Bulldogs will tip-off at 1 p.m. (CT) from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops with Joey Lindstrom (play-by-play) and Amber Stocks (analyst) on the call. Live stream and stat links are available on GoMarquette.com.
In the team's most recent outing on Wednesday evening, Marquette used stifling defense and a strong second half to earn a 64-40 win over Xavier at the Al McGuire Center. Mackenzie Hare and Jordan King finished the contest with 18 and 17 points, respectively. After a slow start to the contest, the MU offense came alive in the second half while the Musketeers were held to just 34.0 percent shooting with 21 turnovers on the night.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 7-14 overall record and a 2-10 mark in BIG EAST play, sitting 10th in the league standings. After going 5-4 in non-conference play to start the year, Butler has now dropped four-straight, most recently falling 67-65 at St. John's on Wednesday. It is 3-7 at home this year.
Butler has been led statistically this year by a pair of IUPUI transfers, as graduate guard/forward Rachel McLimore averages a team-best 11.0 points and 2.4 assists per contest while junior forward Anna Mortag averages 4.6 rebounds. First-year head coach Austin Parkinson joined Butler in the offseason after 12 seasons at IUPUI.
Marquette and Butler have met up 28 times in a series which dates back to 1986, the Golden Eagles leading 19-9 with wins in six-straight and 15 of the past 17 meetings. MU posted a 67-46 win over the Bulldogs on Dec. 18 in Milwaukee.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Butler enters the weekend with a 7-14 overall record and a 2-10 mark in BIG EAST play, sitting 10th in the league standings.
• After going 5-4 in non-conference play to start the year, Butler has now dropped four-straight, most recently falling 67-65 at St. John's on Wednesday.
• In 2021-22 the Bulldogs went winless in conference play, finishing 0-18 against league opponents and 1-27 overall.
• The team has been led statistically this year by a pair of IUPUI transfers, as graduate guard/forward Rachel McLimore averages a team-best 11.0 points and 2.4 assists per contest while junior forward Anna Mortag averages 4.6 rebounds.
• Butler ranks second in the league and seventh nationally in 3-point percentage at 38.4. It averages 61.9 points per game, while allowing 65.6.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST BUTLER
• Sunday's meeting will be the 29th all-time between Marquette and Butler, a series which began in 1986.
• Marquette has performed well in the all-time series, holding a 19-9 advantage, and has won six-straight and 15 of the past 17 meetings.
• Marquette is 8-4 all-time in games played in Indianapolis.
Last 5 Meetings
DATE LOCATION RESULT SCORE
12/18/22 H W 67-46
1/23/22 A W 78-48
12/5/21 H W 59-45
2/10/21 H W 77-48
1/24/21 A W 95-57
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Eagles are 46-21 against BIG EAST opponents under Coach Duffy.
• Coach Duffy is off to the best coaching start through four seasons of any coach in program history. She boasts a 79-33 overall mark (.705) at Marquette.
• The Golden Eagles are 67-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 50-8 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.
• MU is 45-4 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 51-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.
• In the 112 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 89 times.
MAROTTA NAMED TO WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
• After having excellent performances in both of last week's games, senior forward Chloe Marotta was recognized by the league as she was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
• On the week, Marotta averaged 21.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting a combined 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from the floor.
• Against St. John's, she went for a double-double of 24 points and 12 boards. She followed that performance by going for 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a career-high tying four steals in the team's win over Seton Hall.
• This was the third Weekly Honor Roll appearance of the season for Marotta.
LAST TIME OUT
• Marquette used suffocating defense and a strong second half to secure a 64-40 victory over Xavier on Wednesday at the Al McGuire Center.
• The Golden Eagles were paced by the duo of Mackenzie Hare and Jordan King, who finished with 18 and 17 points, respectively. This was Hare's second-straight game leading MU in the scoring column, after going for 23 against Seton Hall.
• Marquette got off to a slow offensive start, but forced 21 total turnovers while limiting Xavier to 34 percent shooting from the floor.
• Chloe Marotta helped the Golden Eagles post a 41-34 advantage on the glass, bringing down a game-high 16 rebounds, just one shy of her career high.
BATTLE TESTED
• Marquette's opponents to this point have combined for a 246-138 record (.641), the 19th highest opponent win percentage of any NCAA team.
• While the remainder of MU's schedule remains a test, it does lighten up a little bit. Five of the team's nine remaining games are at home, with its future opponents having a combined record of 111-65 (.631).
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
• The freshmen pair of Emily La Chapell and Mackenzie Hare have made a difference for Marquette this season, each making big contributions during their first collegiate seasons.
• La Chapell has been a two-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and has made eight starts for MU, while Hare ranks fourth on the team and third among league freshmen with 7.9 points per game.
• While each playing under 18 minutes per contest, the duo has combined to average 12.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
• In the first meeting between Marquette and Butler this season, the Golden Eagles posted a 67-46 win on Dec. 18 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.
• Marquette used an evenly-spread offensive attack and a dominant performance in the post to help secure the win. Four different MU players finished in double-figures, led by Rose Nkumu's 15 points, while the team outscored the Bulldogs 46-20 in the paint.
• The Golden Eagles led by 10 at the half, then scored the first 12 points of the third quarter, eventually leading by as many as 30 points.
• Butler was led by Jessica Carrothers, who finished with a team-best 14 points.
UP NEXT FOR MU
• The Golden Eagles remain on the road as they head to Pennsylvania for a showdown against Villanova on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Finneran Pavilion.
• The game will be broadcast on FS2, with a link to live stats available on GoMarquette.com.
