Marquette University
21-10,13-7Big East
UConn
28-5,18-2Big East
WBB Falls to No. 9 UConn in BIG EAST Semifinals
3/5/2023 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles now await postseason fate with NCAA Tournament looming
UNCASVILLE, Connecticut — The Marquette women's basketball team (21-10, 13-7 BIG EAST) suffered a 81-52 loss to No. 9 UConn Sunday afternoon, falling in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena.
"I felt like that was the UConn of March we're used to seeing. I thought they were absolutely tremendous right out of the gate," said Marquette head coach Megan Duffy. "Our defense was not up to our standards, but I think a lot of that was what UConn did. For our team, I'm very, very proud of what we've accomplished this season through a lot of ups and downs. It was a very disappointed locker room for my team."
The Golden Eagles got off to a rocky start, going down 9-2 quickly to trigger a MU timeout. After going down double-digits, they strung together an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to pull within five, but the Huskies forced 10 first-half turnovers to remain in control and take a 37-22 lead into the half.
Despite putting up its two highest scoring quarters in the second half, MU was unable to keep pace with a UConn attack that shot 51 percent through the final 20 minutes and saw all five starters reach double-figures in the scoring column.
Marquette was severely limited due to early foul trouble, as forwards Chloe Marotta and Liza Karlen each had four fouls midway through the third quarter.
Junior forward Liza Karlen led Marquette's scoring efforts with 18 points to go along with five boards, while freshman guard Mackenzie Hare was another bright spot, finishing with 15 points while shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
UConn was led by Aaliyah Edwards, who recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading all players in both categories.
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Liza Karlen led all Marquette scorers with 18 points to go along with five boards. This followed a 16-point performance from her in the quarterfinal round.
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This was Karlen's 35th career double-figure scoring performance, and her 16th of the season.
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Mackenzie Hare scored 15 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range in the contest. This was the eighth double-figure scoring outing of the season for the freshman.
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Marquette's top two scorers on the year, Jordan King and Chloe Marotta, were limited to a combined seven points on 3-of-24 shooting.
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Marquette scored 15 points off of 13 UConn turnovers in the contest.
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King led MU with five assists, as the Golden Eagles recorded 16 assists on 19 made shots.
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Marquette's nine made 3-pointers were one shy of a season-high, and are tied for most by a MU team in a BIG EAST Tournament game (vs DePaul, 2017).
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Marquette finished the game shooting 30.2 percent (19-of-63) from the floor, 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the free throw line.
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With the loss, Marquette falls to 2-1 on the year vs AP Top-10 teams
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UConn takes the season series 2-1 with the win, and is now 17-1 all-time against MU.
UP NEXT: With the NCAA Tournament looming, Marquette will now await its postseason fate. The NCAA Tournament selection show will take place Sunday, March 12 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).
