Marquette University
Xavier
WBB Plays Road Finale at Xavier Saturday
2/23/2023 2:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles look to complete season sweep over Musketeers
MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's basketball team (18-9, 11-7 BIG EAST) heads on the road for the final time before the BIG EAST Tournament as it takes on Xavier (7-20, 0-18 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Golden Eagles and the Musketeers will tip-off at 1 p.m. (CT) from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will be broadcast by BIG EAST Digital Network on FloHoops with Mike Schmaltz (play-by-play) and Paul Fritschner (analyst) on the call. A link to live stats and stream are available on GoMarquette.com.
In the team's most recent outing on Wednesday evening, Marquette saw a four-game winning streak come to a close as it fell to RV Creighton 55-44. Despite holding the Bluejays to their second-lowest scoring output of the season, MU was unable to find an offensive rhythm in the contest. After a near-even first half, Creighton used a 18-5 third quarter to pull away and secure the win.
The Musketeers enter Saturday's contest still in search of their first conference win, sitting last in the BIG EAST standings at 0-18 with two games left to play. They have a 7-20 overall record on the year, and are 5-11 at the Cintas Center this season. Most recently, they suffered a 60-43 loss at Butler on Tuesday.
Butler is led statistically by junior guard Mackayla Scarlett, who averages a team-best 10.8 points to go along with 2.5 assists per game. Junior guard Shelby Calhoun, a Virginia Tech transfer, leads the squad on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per outing.
Saturday's game will be the 28th all-time between Marquette and Xavier, a series which dates back to 1985. The Golden Eagles hold a 20-7 advantage in the series, with wins in 13-straight meetings. Earlier this season in Milwaukee, MU posted a 64-40 win over the Musketeers at the Al McGuire Center.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
• Xavier enters Saturday's contest still in search of its first conference win, sitting last in the BIG EAST standings at 0-18 with two games left to play.
• After getting off to a strong 5-0 start to the year, the Musketeers have now dropped 17-straight. Most recently, they fell 60-43 at Butler on Tuesday.
• XU is 5-11 at home this season.
• The team has been led statistically by junior guard Mackayla Scarlett, who averages a team-best 10.8 points to go along with 2.5 assists per game. Junior guard Shelby Calhoun, a Virginia Tech transfer, leads the squad on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per outing.
• Xavier ranks fifth in the league in both blocks (3.6) and steals (8.0) per game. It averages 55.6 points per game, fewest among BIG EAST teams, while allowing 65.8.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST XAVIER
• Wednesday's meeting will be the 28th all-time between Marquette and Xavier, a series which began in 1985.
• Marquette has performed well in the all-time series, holding a 20-7 advantage, and has won each of the past 13 meetings.
• MU swept the series last year, earning a 76-48 win in Milwaukee before winning 65-46 in Cincinnati.
Last 5 Meetings
DATE LOCATION RESULT SCORE
1/21/22 A W 65-46
12/3/21 H W 76-48
12/22/20 A W 69-56
2/14/20 H W 61-48
1/19/20 A W 80-60
EARLIER THIS SEASON
• In the first meeting this season between Marquette and Xavier, MU used suffocating defense and a strong second half to secure a 64-40 victory over Xavier on Jan. 25 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.
• The Golden Eagles were paced by the duo of Mackenzie Hare and Jordan King, who finished with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
• 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.
• Freshman guard Fernanda Ovalle led Xavier's scoring efforts with nine points.
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Eagles are 51-23 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 84-35 overall mark (.706) 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 119 games of the Coach Duffy era, the Golden Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent 93 times.
LAST TIME OUT
• Marquette fell to RV Creighton on Wednesday night inside of the Al McGuire Center, losing 55-44.
• Despite holding the Bluejays to their second-lowest scoring output of the season, the Golden Eagles struggled to find an offensive rhythm as they saw a four-game winning streak come to a close.
• The teams exchanged blows throughout the first half, CU leading 26-25 through two quarters, but the Bluejays limited the Golden Eagles to just 1-of-11 shooting to outscore them 18-5 in the third quarter and take control. Marquette eventually clawed back to within six points, but that's as close as it would get.
• Chloe Marotta and Liza Karlen each finished in double-figures for Marquette, going for 13 and 10 points, respectively. Marotta also led the team on the glass with seven rebounds.
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 57.1 points per game this season, while limiting them to just 38.5 percent shooting from the field and 30.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.
• MU has held seven opponents under 50 points and 15 opponents under 60 points, with its past 11 opponents averaging just 55.0 points per contest.
TOURNAMENT TIME
• With just two games remaining in the regular season, Marquette's attention will soon shift to the BIG EAST Tournament, which takes place from March 3-6 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
• Marquette's seeding in the tournament is still to be determined, as the Golden Eagles could finish as high as fourth, or as low as sixth. A win on Saturday could essentially clinch a first-round bye for MU, in which case it would play in the 4-seed vs 5-seed game at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 5.
• Last year, the Golden Eagles entered the league tournament as a 5-seed, posting a 105-85 win over DePaul in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual tournament champion UConn in the semifinal round.
UP NEXT FOR MU
• The Golden Eagles return home to wrap up the regular season as they host DePaul on Monday, Feb. 27 at the Al McGuire Center. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. (CT).
• The game will be broadcast on FS1, with a link to live stats available on GoMarquette.com.
