WBB Takes on #25 Creighton on Sunday

OMAHA, Neb. — The Marquette women's basketball team (10-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) will close out a three-game road trip this weekend as it travels to face No. 25 Creighton (9-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) on Sunday, Jan. 8. The Golden Eagles and the Bluejays will tip-off at 3 p.m. (CT) from DJ Sokol Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports network, with Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Isis Young (analyst) on the call. A link for live stats will be available on GoMarquette.com.

In the team's most recent outing on Wednesday, Marquette took down rival DePaul in a 72-63 road win at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. MU got off to a strong start and never looked back, using a 26-point first quarter to gain separation early. The Golden Eagles' lead would get as large as 17 points as senior guard Jordan King went off for 23 points and a career-high tying nine assists.

The Bluejays enter the contest ranked 25th nationally while holding a 9-5 overall record and getting off to a 3-3 start to BIG EAST play. The Jays are 2-3 at home this season, and most recently suffered a 79-75 home loss to Providence on Wednesday evening.

Creighton is led statistically by guard/forward Morgan Maly, an junior who is averaging team-best marks of 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Molly Mogensen is the team's top facilitator this year, dishing out 3.5 assists per contest.

Sunday's game will be the 29th all-time between Marquette and Creighton, a series which dates back to 1986. The Bluejays holds a narrow 15-13 advantage in the series, though Marquette has won five of the past six. Last season, Creighton won in Omaha 62-45 before Marquette posted a 50-47 win in Milwaukee.

SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS

• Creighton enters Sunday's contest with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-3 start to BIG EAST play, ranked No. 25 in the most recent AP Poll.

• In 2021-22 the Bluejays made a historic run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight after a 23-10 campaign and a 15-5 mark in league play to finish third in the BIG EAST.

• Creighton is 2-3 at home this season, most recently suffering a 79-75 loss to Providence on Wednesday evening.

• The team has been led statistically by guard/forward Morgan Maly, an junior who is averaging team-best marks of 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Molly Mogensen is the team's top facilitator this year, dishing out 3.5 assists per contest.

• As a team, the Bluejays ranks fourth nationally with just 11.1 turnover per game, and fifth with a 1.47 assist-to-turnover ratio. They also rank among the nation's elite in shooting from deep, averaging 8.8 triples per contest.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST CREIGHTON

• Sunday's meeting will be the 29th all-time between Marquette and Creighton, a series which began in 1986.

• Creighton leads a narrow all-time series 15-13, though Marquette has won five of the past six meetings and nine of the past 13.

• Last season the teams each won on their own courts, Creighton posting a 62-45 win in Omaha before MU earned a 50-47 victory in Milwaukee.

Last 5 Meetings

DATE LOCATION RESULT SCORE

2/6/22 H W 50-47

1/6/22 A L 45-62

3/7/21 N W 64-59

2/22/21 H W 65-41

2/1/21 A W 66-53

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Eagles are 43-19 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 76-31 overall mark (.710) at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are 64-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 47-7 when they turn the ball over the same or fewer times than their opponent.

• MU is 43-4 when scoring more than 70 points under Coach Duffy and 50-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.

• In the 107 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 86 times.

KING IS DOING IT ALL

• While Jordan King has been one of the league's top guards since beginning her career and earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors in 2019-20, versatility on the court this season has taken her game to the next level.

• King is one of just seven players in the NCAA who are averaging at least 15 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game.

• She is currently averaging career-best marks in points (15.1), rebounds (4.5) and steals (2.2), and is having her most efficient shooting season from deep, making 42.1 percent (24-of-57) of her three's.

LA CHAPELL NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• After a pair of strong performances against RV Villanova and at No. 8 UConn last week, guard Emily La Chapell was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.

• The Appleton, Wisconsin, native averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the field on the week.

• In the second start of her career against UConn on Saturday, La Chapell went for 11 points, five boards and two steals in a career-high 37 minutes of action.

• She is the first MU freshman to earn this honor since Jordan King on March 2, 2020.

LAST TIME OUT

• Marquette got back in the win column on Wednesday, earning a 72-63 win at DePaul.

• In a near start-to-finish victory, MU used its highest scoring first quarter of the season to gain early separation and never looked back. The Golden Eagles held a 46-32 lead at the half, a lead which would eventually expand to as many as 17 points.

• Jordan King once again had a stellar performance for Marquette, finishing with a team-high 23 points and a career-high tying nine assists. Chloe Marotta also neared a double-double as she went for 18 points and nine boards, along with four assists and three blocks.

• Playing her hometown of Chicago, Makiyah Williams also brought down nine rebounds, a new career high for the sophomore.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE

• Along with excellent rebounding and ball movement, strong defensive effort has become one of the trademarks of a Coach Duffy team at Marquette.

• The Golden Eagles are allowing just 57.6 points per game this season, second fewest of any BIG EAST team.

• Marquette has held eight of its 15 opponents this year under 60 points, while allowing over 80 points just once.

• Additionally, MU is holding opponents to just 37.6 percent shooting from the floor, while forcing an average of 16.6 turnovers per contest.

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

• Marquette is currently in the midst of one of its most difficult stretches of the season, playing its third-consecutive home road contest on Sunday and its fifth-consecutive game against a team which played in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

• The BIG EAST has proven itself as one of the top women's basketball conferences in the country this season, going a combined 80-25 in non-conference play.

• The four BIG EAST opponents that MU has faced during this stretch were the top four seeds in last year's conference tournament, and together combined for a record of 99-36 in 2021-22.

UP NEXT FOR MU

• The Golden Eagles return home after a few days off to take on Providence on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. Tip is slated for 2 p.m.

• The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops, with links to the stream and live stats available on GoMarquette.com.