WBB Faces No. 7 seed Ole Miss in NCAA First Round Saturday

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University women's basketball team plays No. 7 seed Ole Miss on Saturday in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. Tipoff from Purcell Pavilion is at 3:45 p.m. CT.

The game will be broadcast on ESPNU with Sam Gore (play-by-play) and Tamika Catchings (analyst) on the call.

Marquette earned an at-large bid after compiling 23 wins this season, including two ranked wins, and finishing No. 40 in the NCAA NET rankings.

Marquette is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA tournament and is participating in back-to-back events for first time since 2018 and 2019.

It is the third time the Golden Eagles are going dancing in Megan Duffy's five year tenure. MU was in position to earn a bid before the 2020 tournament was canceled.

2023-24 Season Highlights
• Marquette had its best start in program history at 12-0.
• The Golden Eagles were one of ten schools to go undefeated (11-0) in nonconference play.
• Marquette finished tied for third at 11-7 in the BIG EAST with St. John's and Villanova.
• The Golden Eagles won 23 games and have won 20-plus games in seven of the past eight seasons.
• Marquette was 13-3 at home, the fourth time in five seasons MU had 13-plus wins playing at the Al McGuire Center.
• MU won the Fort Meyers Tip-Off over Thanksgiving weekend, defeating Boston College in the semifinal and Arkansas in the final.
• Marquette had two ranked wins at home this season. MU beat then No. 23 Illinois, 71-67, on Nov. 11, 2023, and then No. 20 Creighton in the conference opener, 76-70, on Dec. 13, 2023.
• Liza Karlen was a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
• Jordan King was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and Mackenzie Hare earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.

STARTING FIVE
• In her fifth season at the helm of Marquette women's basketball, Coach Duffy has the best winning percentage of any coach in MU history, going 110-45 (.710) overall and 64-30 (.681) in BIG EAST play.
• Jordan King is the active career scoring leader in the BIG EAST with 1,798 career points.
• Rose Nkumu is 10th in the nation with a 2.81 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Liza Karlen has scored in double figures in 30-of-31 games this season.
• Mackenzie Hare is 13th in the nation in 3-point percentage (43.2) and 10th in 3's made (89).

SCOUTING THE REBELS
• Ole Miss is makings its third consecutive tournament appearance under sixth-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.
• The Rebels finished third in the SEC at 12-4, the highest conference win total since 1991-92.
• Senior guard Marquesha Davis and senior forward Madison Scott both earned First Team All-SEC honors this season.
• Scott was also named to the SEC All-Defensive team.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST OLE MISS
• Saturday will be the second meeting all-time between Marquette and Ole Miss.
• The two programs met on Dec. 28, 2004 at the San Diego Surf-N-Slam tournament in San Diego with the Rebels winning 80-66.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY WITH SEC
• Marquette has matched up with an SEC team three times in the NCAA tournament.
• The Golden Eagles most recently played then No. 4 seed Texas A&M in College Station in the second round in 2019, losing 78-76.

PROGRAM HISTORY WITH SEC
• Marquette is 7-18 all-time against opponents from the SEC.
• Last outing with an SEC opponent came when MU beat Arkansas in the Fort Myers Tip-Off title game, 74-58, on Nov. 25, 2023.

PROGRAM HISTORY AT NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Marquette has made the NCAA tournament 15 times in program history.
• The Golden Eagles have made it past the first round six times, and have advanced in five of the last eight.
• 24th postseason appearance all-time including winning the 2008 WNIT.

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).