No. 18 Marquette WBB downs Bucknell, 67-39

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The No 18/18 Marquette University women's basketball team jumped out to a 21-0 lead on Bucknell and never looked back in a 67-39 win on Thursday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.

Reigning BIG EAST Conference and Associated Press National Player of the Week Liza Karlen scored a game-high 17 points for the Golden Eagles (12-0), and grabbed a season-best 13 rebounds.

The Bison (3-8) began the game by missing their first 11 shots and were forced into seven early turnovers by the MU defense. Bucknell trailed by 19 points at the end of the first quarter, 23-4, after falling behind by 21 to start the game.

NOTABLE:

Golden Eagles are off to the best start in program history (12-0).
Marquette is 39-11 in non-conference play under Megan Duffy.
Today marked 200 career games as a collegiate head coach for Megan Duffy, who is 143-57 overall at Marquette and Miami (OH).
Marquette's 21-0 start to the game was a season-high scoring run.
Jordan King moved into 11th on the Marquette all-time scoring list with 1,578 career points. King moved past Arlesia Morse's 1,577 career points (2011-14) on Thursday.
Thursday's matchup was the first meeting all-time between Marquette and Bucknell.
MU is 7-1 all-time against current Patriot League teams.
Marquette senior Frannie Hottinger competed against Bucknell in the Patriot League during her four seasons at Lehigh and had nine points and 13 rebounds on Thursday. Hottinger averaged 21.6 points and nine rebounds in three games against the Bison last season.
Marquette allowed Bucknell to score just four points in the opening frame, a low for a MU opponent in a single quarter this season.
Bucknell's first quarter point total of four is the eighth time this season MU has allowed under 10 points to an opponent in a single frame.
Karlen has reached a double-figure point total in 11-of-12 games this season
MU's defense allowed its second-lowest opponent point total this season (26 vs. St. Peter's on Nov. 19).
Bucknell's five free throw makes are a MU opponent low this season.
MU guard Rose Nkumu had six assists and four steals in a game-high 28 minutes. It is a season-high steal total for the senior and the fourth time this season she's reached at least six assists.
MU has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season after a season-high 55 rebounds today.

UP NEXT: After Christmas break, Marquette heads to Hartford, Connecticut on Thursday, Dec. 31 for a nationally ranked matchup with UConn. SNY features the television broadcast.

Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (MarquetteWBB).