First-Half Struggles Too Much To Overcome In 63-54 Defeat To Hoyas

MILWAUKEE – Digging a 19-point deficit in the first nine minutes, Marquette was unable to claw back in a 63-54 defeat to Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center. It was the Golden Eagles second defeat of the season on its home court.

Lee Volker finished with team highs of 16 points (5-of-12) and eight rebounds.

Marquette opened the game 0-of-7 from the field and turned the ball over twice in the first four minutes. The slow start prompted a timeout from the Golden Eagles' bench with MU trailing 8-0. Georgetown's run ended at 19 following a pair of free throws from Skylar Forbes with 1:30 left in the period. MU trailed 19-4 after 10 minutes, shooting 1-of-11 from the field and turning the ball over seven times resulting in 13 points for the Hoyas.

Georgetown's lead grew to 23 at halftime as the Hoyas took a 41-18 score line into the break after shooting 56.3% (18-of-32) compared to Marquette's 27.3% (5-of-22). GU held a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

MU came out of the locker room scoring the first five points, but Georgetown answered with nine straight and grabbed its largest lead of the game at 27. The response from the Golden Eagles came from Lee Volker with a 3-pointer that started a 10-0 run. A 12-point swing over the final 6:10 of the third resulted in the Golden Eagles trailing by 15 heading into the fourth. They pulled to within 12 two-and-half minutes in the third, the closet they had been since the opening quarter.

But on the next Hoya possession, GU milked the shot clock down to one second and sank a 3-pointer on the right wing. It would be their their last field goal of the game as Marquette turned up its pressure. The Golden Eagles, though, could only get the deficit down to as much as seven with seven seconds to play after shooting just 2-of-13 during the final six-and-a-half minutes.

UP NEXT
Marquette hits the road for the next two, beginning with a trip to Queens, N.Y. Tipoff against St. John's at Carnasecca Arena is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and will air on Peacock.

NOTABLES

Marquette faced its largest halftime deficit of the season at 23 points.
MU's four points in the first quarter were its fewest points in a quarter this season.
Georgetown finished with a 21-20 advantage in points off turnovers but that different was 17 at the half.
MU forced 12 turnovers in the second half compared to committing just four of its own.
Marquette shot a season-low 19.0% from 3 (4-of-21). The previous low was 28.6% at Minnesota.
Lee Volker and Jaidynn Mason each reached double figures in scoring for the ninth time this season, finishing with 16 and 12 points, respectively.