WBB Hosts Butler At The Al On Sunday Afternoon

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball hosts Butler on Sunday afternoon, its last game before taking a week off for finals. The Golden Eagles and Bulldogs will tipoff at noon CT at the Al McGuire Center.

Sunday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Bob Brainred and Chloe Marotta on the call.

THE STARTING FIVE

Until Marquette's two-point loss last season at Butler on Feb. 9, the Golden Eagles had won 10 straight in a series overall (23-10), and particularly since 2015 (19-3).
Last season's series between Marquette and Butler was tightly contested with the difference being three points or less in both games.
With more depth in 2025-26, the Golden Eagles' strength still lies within their starting five which has not changed through the opening eight games. The group is accounting for 78.4% of the team's scoring thus far. That number dipped below 80% though after MU had a season-high 30 points from its bench on Thursday night at DePaul.
Marquette continues to be the only team in the BIG EAST with four players who rank in the Top 20 in the league in scoring. Skylar Forbes, Jaidynn Mason, Halle Vice and Lee Volker are averaging a combined 49.1 points per game.
Marquette's strength this season comes in its experience and continuity as the program is the only one in Division I women's college basketball to return all of its players from the 2024-25 season.

BY THE NUMBERS
19.0 - During its last 10 games against Butler, Marquette is 9-1, losing just once by two points. MU has outscored the Bulldogs during that stretch by 19.0 points per game.
6.7 - An emphasis during the offseason for Marquette was to increase its efficiency from outside. MU has seen an increase of 6.7% on its shooting 3, jumping to 36.7% and ranking No. 32 in the NCAA.
19 - With 19 points on Thursday at DePaul, it marked the third time this season that Skylar Forbes finished with 19 points. The junior has one 20-point game on the year but has been a point shy of three more.

IT WAS CLOSE LAST YEAR
While last year's meetings with Butler were separated by a combined five points, the series hasn't been close during the past decade-plus. The Golden Eagles have won 19 of the past 22 games with only six of those wins being by single digits. On the opposite end, seven of MU's 19 wins have come by 20 or more points. Butler's three wins have been by 2, 4 and 6.

Marquette leads the all-time series 23-10 after the Bulldogs won the first four game in the series.

STEP UP AND KNOCK 'EM DOWN
Below 80% from the free-throw line in her career entering the season, Lee Volker has moved north of that mark through the first eight games of her final season. With 22 attempts thus far, the graduate student has missed just once from the stripe.

Volker's 95.5% ranks No. 8 nationally and leads the BIG EAST.

ONE OF ONE
Not just a shot blocker, not just a 3-point shooter, Skylar Forbes is proving early this season that she is both. Forbes is currently shooting 40.5% from deep while also posting 2.0 blocks per game.

Forbes is the only player in the country currently averaging 2.0 blocks per game and shooting over 40% from 3 (min. 15 attempts).

USING HER LENGTH
While not a prototypical post, 6-foot-3 Skylar Forbes uses her length well on the defensive end. After breaking the Marquette record for blocks in a season last year with 56, the junior hasn't slowed up. Adding 16 more to total this season, she is up to 104 for her career.

Forbes moved to sixth on MU's all-time blocks list following four against Iowa State, passing Liza Karlen.
Forbes' 2.0 blocks per game this season ranks No. 2 in the Big East and 21st in the NCAA.

VICE GRIP
Marquette's top rebounder a season ago, preseason All-BIG EAST selection Halle Vice has showed no let up on the glass through eight games this year, leading the team six times. The junior's 7.6 rebounds per game currently ranks sixth the BIG EAST.

Vice had double-digit rebounding numbers in her first two outings of the season.

MADE IT LOOK EASY
Marquette's third 20-point game this season came Halle Vice at Milwaukee. The junior has been close this season but against the Panthers the 6-foot-1 guard made the 20-point game look easy, shooting an efficient 9-of-11 from the field. Not everything was from inside though, Vice was 3-of-4 from deep.

The 23 points and three made 3-pointers were both career highs for Vice.

THE X-FACTOR
While Skylar Forbes, Halle Vice and Lee Volker were the All-BIG EAST preseason selections, Marquette coaches have all said that senior point guard Jaidynn Mason is the X-factor. While the season is still young, Mason has already shown why coaches have put that moniker on her. In the season opener she dropped 25 points against Winthrop. In Game 2 against Wisconsin, she ignited a 10-0 run in the final three minutes with two blocks and a steal on three consecutive defensive possessions.

Mason leads the team in assists (3.4) and steals (1.8).

3-POINT EFFICIENCY INCREASE
Year 1 under Cara Consuegra saw the Golden Eagles struggle from outside, shooting just 30.7% which ranked 194th in the nation. During the offseason, changing that was a point of emphasis. Through eight games, Marquette is shooting 36.7%, a 6% increase, which ranks 32nd in the NCAA.

Three Golden Eagles are shooting north of 40%. Olivia Porter is at 50.0% (5-of-10), Jaidynn Mason is at 46.7% (7-of-15) and Skylar Forbes is at 40.5% (17-of-42).

THEY'RE ALL BACK...WITH ADDITIONS
With fifth years awarded to Abbey Cracknell and Lee Volker, Marquette heads into the 2025-26 season as the only Division I women's basketball team to return every player from its 2024-25 roster.

Of the returners, two are fifth years, six are seniors and five are juniors.
Additionally, MU added three players in transfer Jordan Muelemens and freshmen JJ Barnes and Kam Herring.

ONE OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
On Oct. 30, Marquette's Skylar Forbes was selected to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List, presented by AXIA Time. The 6-foot-3 junior forward was one of 50 student-athletes named to the watch list.