Marquette University
Villanova
WBB Travels to Face #19 Villanova Wednesday
1/31/2023 9:26:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles look to keep three-game win streak alive
The Marquette women's basketball team (14-7, 7-5 BIG EAST) concludes a two-game road trip this week as it faces No. 19 Villanova (18-4, 9-2 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Golden Eagles and the Wildcats will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. (CT) from Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The game will be broadcast on FS2 with Sloane Martin (play-by-play), Kim Adams (analyst) and Meghan Caffrey (sideline) on the call. A link to live stats is available on GoMarquette.com.
In the team's most recent outing on Sunday afternoon, Marquette won a 65-63 road thriller at Butler. In a game which came down to an Emily La Chapell tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining, the Golden Eagles used a resilient effort to come back from down double-figures led by a dominant second-half performance from Chloe Marotta. Marotta went for 27 points, including 25 in the second half, and 14 rebonds in the contest.
The Wildcats enter the week ranked 19th nationally and boasting an 18-4 overall record and a 9-2 mark in BIG EAST play, sitting second in the league standings. Villanova saw a nine-game winning streak come to a close on Sunday afternoon when it suffered a 63-58 road loss at No. 5 UConn. VU is 9-1 at home this year.
Villanova is led by senior forward Maddy Siegrist. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year leads the NCAA in scoring with 28.4 points per game, and ranks second in the league in rebounding with 9.5 boards per contest. Sophomore guard Lucy Olsen averages a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
Marquette and Villanova have met up 31 times in a series which began in 2006, the Golden Eagles leading 18-13. The Wildcats have won three-straight in the series, including a 54-52 win at the Al McGuire Center earlier this season on Dec. 28.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Villanova enters the week ranked 19th in the AP Poll, boasting an 18-4 overall record and a 9-2 mark in BIG EAST play, sitting second in the league standings.
• The Wildcats had won nine-straight before suffering a 63-58 road loss at No. 5 UConn on Sunday afternoon.
• VU is 9-1 in games played at home this season.
• The team has been led by senior forward Maddy Siegrist. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year leads the NCAA in scoring with 28.4 points per game, and ranks second in the league in rebounding with 9.5 boards per contest. Sophomore guard Lucy Olsen averages a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
• Villanova ranks second nationally in both turnovers per game (10.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52). It also leads the league and ranks ninth nationally in blocks per contest with 5.4.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST VILLANOVA
• Wednesday's meeting will be the 32nd all-time between Marquette and Villanova, a series which began in 2006.
• Marquette holds an 18-13 lead in the series, though Villanova has won each of the past three meetings including a 54-52 win in Milwaukee on Dec. 28.
• The Wildcats swept last year's season series in a pair of close games, earning a 55-58 win in Milwaukee before posting a 74-63 overtime victory in Villanova.
• MU is 7-6 all-time in Villanova.
Last 5 Meetings
DATE LOCATION RESULT SCORE
12/28/22 H L 54-52
2/11/22 A L 63-74, OT
1/16/22 H L 55-58
2/19/21 H W 65-57
1/27/21 A W 95-77
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Eagles are 47-21 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 80-33 overall mark (.708) at Marquette.
• The Golden Eagles are 67-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 51-8 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 113 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 90 times.
MAROTTA AND HARE EARN WEEKLY HONORS
• After helping Marquette to a 2-0 week with wins over Xavier and Butler last week, Chloe Marotta and Mackenzie Hare were each honored by the BIG EAST.
• Marotta averaged 16.5 points and 15.0 rebounds on the week to earn a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. After posting a 16-rebound performance vs Xavier, she went off for a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double at Butler on Sunday.
• Hare was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after a strong performance against Xavier in which she led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from outside the arc.
• This was Marotta's fourth weekly honor of the season, and Hare's first.
LAST TIME OUT
• Marquette won in dramatic fashion on the road on Sunday afternoon, earning a 65-63 win at Butler.
• The Golden Eagles battled back from a double-digit deficit to set up a game-winning tip-in for freshman Emily La Chapell. The comeback was led by a heroic 25-point second half from Chloe Marotta.
• With 25 seconds remaining following a game-tying triple from Butler, Marquette inbounded with an opportunity for the last shot. Mu's first two shots at the rim missed, but La Chapell was there for the offensive board and putback with 1.2 seconds left to secure the win.
• After being limited to just two points in 11 first-half minutes due to foul trouble, Marotta finished with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds.
FEMALE FORWARD
• In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Marquette and Villanova will take place in a "Female Forward" broadcast on FS2.
• Both squads have female head coaches, and the game will feature an all-female broadcast crew, including talent and production, as well as female officials.
• Additionally, the BIG EAST will host a women's leadership panel prior to the game which features prominent female panelists from across the sports industry.
MAROTTA SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST
• In her fifth and final year of college basketball, Chloe Marotta is averaging career-bests in nearly every major statistical category.
• She has more than doubled her scoring output from a season ago, jumping from 6.9 points per game to 14.3 while also having the most efficient shooting season of her career from the floor (.453) and ranking ninth in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.918).
• With fellow forward Liza Karlen out due to injury, Marotta has stepped up to average 16.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in the past seven games.
• She has had 12-plus boards in four-straight games, and against Butler she became the first MU player since at least 2009-10 to have at least 27 points and 14 rebounds in a game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
• In the first meeting between Marquette and Villanova this season, the Wildcats won a 54-52 battle inside of the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee on Dec. 28.
• A 23-point, 11-rebound double-double from Jordan King wasn't enough, as Marquette struggled to find an offensive rhythm and shot just 35.7 percent (20-of-56) in the contest.
• Defensively, the Golden Eagles limited Maddy Siegrist to her lowest scoring performance of the season, while Villanova's 54 points were its second-fewest of the year.
• Siegrist scored a team-high 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.
UP NEXT FOR MU
• The Golden Eagles return home this weekend to face off against Georgetown on Saturday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. (CT) at the Al McGuire Center.
• The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops, with a link to live stats available on GoMarquette.com.
