Marquette University
Creighton
WBB Faces RV Creighton at Home on Wednesday
2/20/2023 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles and Bluejays both receiving votes in most recent AP Poll
MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (18-8, 11-6 BIG EAST) continues to wind down its regular season this week as it hosts RV Creighton (19-7, 13-5 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The Golden Eagles and the Bluejays will tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT) from the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops with Bob Brainerd (play-by-play), Michelle Griffin-Wenzel (analyst) and Kacy Standohar (sideline) on the call. A link to live stats and stream are available on GoMarquette.com.
In the team's most recent outing on Sunday afternoon, Marquette earned an important 61-38 win over St. John's at the Al McGuire Center. With the teams entering the game tied for fourth in the league standings, Marquette controlled the pace from start-to-finish led by Jordan King's 24 points and Chloe Marotta's 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Bluejays enter Wednesday's contest receiving votes in the AP Poll with a 19-7 overall record and a 13-5 mark in BIG EAST play, currently sitting in third place, one spot ahead of Marquette. Creighton has won 10 of its past 12 games, with its only losses during that stretch coming to ranked Villanova and UConn. Most recently, it defeated Georgetown 75-34.
Creighton is led statistically this year by guard Lauren Jensen, a junior who is averaging a team-best 15.9 points and 3.7 assists per game. Junior guard/forward Morgan Maly leads the squad with 6.0 boards per contest.
Wednesday's game will be the 30th all-time between Marquette and Creighton, a series which dates back to 1986. The Bluejays holds a narrow 16-13 advantage in the series, and picked up a 68-42 win over the Golden Eagles earlier this year in Omaha on Jan. 8.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
• Creighton enters Sunday's contest with a 19-7 overall record and a 13-5 mark in BIG EAST play, currently third in the league standings. It is receiving votes as the fourth team out of the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
• The Bluejays won 10 of their past 12 games, with their only losses during that stretch coming to ranked Villanova and UConn. Most recently, they beat Georgetown 75-34.
• CU is 11-3 on the road this season.
• The team has been led statistically this year by guard Lauren Jensen, a junior who is averaging a team-best 15.9 points and 3.7 assists per game. Junior guard/forward Morgan Maly leads the squad with 6.0 boards per contest.
• As a team, the Bluejays ranks fourth nationally with just 9.5 3-pointers per game, fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.47) and seventh in turnovers per game (12.0)
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST CREIGHTON
• Sunday's meeting will be the 30th all-time between Marquette and Creighton, a series which began in 1986.
• Creighton leads a narrow all-time series 16-13, though Marquette has won five of the past seven 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
1/8/23 A L 42-68
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
EARLIER THIS SEASON
• In the first meeting of the season between Marquette and Creighton, the Bluejays came on top with a 68-42 win on Jan. 8 at D.J. Sokol Arena.
• In what was its lowest-scoring outing of the season, Marquette struggled to find an offensive rhythm and was held to just 33.3 percent (19-of-57) shooting in the contest. MU trailed 35-14 at the half.
• Despite being outscored by just five points in a competitive second half, the Golden Eagles were unable to make up any ground as CU shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) in the final 20 minutes.
• The senior duo of Chloe Marotta and Jordan King combined to score 33 of Marquette's 42 points, led by Marotta's game-high 20. Claire Kaifes led the team with six rebounds in what was the second start of her career.
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Eagles are 51-22 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 84-34 overall mark (.712) at Marquette.
• The Golden Eagles are 71-3 under Coach Duffy when leading at halftime and 54-8 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 53-5 when shooting more free throws than its opponent.
• In the 118 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 93 times.
LAST TIME OUT
• Marquette picked up a statement win over St. John's on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Red Storm 61-38 inside of the Al McGuire Center.
• Entering the game tied with St. John's for fourth in the BIG EAST standings, Marquette controlled the contest from start to finish. MU never trailed in the game, leading for over 37 minutes of action.
• The Golden Eagles set the tone early, taking a 10-2 lead out of the gates. They held a 29-11 lead at half, then blew things open with a 12-0 run early in the third quarter. Their lead grew to as many as 26 points.
• Jordan King scored a game-high 24 points to go along with six boards and six assists, while Chloe Marotta posted a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.
• Rose Nkumu led all players with seven assists, as MU had 20 assists on 26 made baskets.
MAROTTA EARNS WEEKLY HONORS
• For the second-straight week, Chloe Marotta was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following her big performances in a pair of wins last week.
• The senior averaged 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting an efficient 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the floor.
• At providence, she went for a game-high 26 points and nine boards. She then posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four assists at St. John's.
• This was her sixth weekly honor of the season.
DOMINATING ON DEFENSE
• Much of Marquette's success this year has come because of its strong performance on the defensive side of the court.
• The Golden Eagles have held opponents to a league-best 57.2 points per game this season, while limiting them to just 38.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent shooting from 3-point range.
• MU has held seven opponents under 50 points and 14 opponents under 60 points, with its past 10 opponents averaging just 55.0 points per contest.
MAROTTA HITS 1,000
• With a layup early in the fourth quarter against St. John's on Saturday afternoon, Marquette's Chloe Marotta reached the 1,000-career point plateau.
• Marotta is just the 33rd player in MU program history to score 1,000 points in a career, joining teammate Jordan King who hit that milestone earlier this season.
• She is one of just seven players in program history to have at least 1,000 points and 800 rebounds in a career, and ranks second in all-time games played with 143.
UP NEXT FOR MU
• The Golden Eagles hit the road as they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to face Xavier on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Cintas Center. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. (CT).
• The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops, with a link to live stats and stream available on GoMarquette.com.
