WBB Hosts Sunday Matinee With Villanova

MILWAUKEE - After picking up a win on Thursday to open up the New Year, the Marquette women's basketball team returns to Milwaukee for its next two in what will be its first of two two-game homestands during BIG EAST play this season. The Golden Eagles (9-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) will begin this stretch with Villanova (12-2, 5-0 BIG EAST) on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday's game will air on Peacock with Kylen Mills (pxp) and Chloe Marotta (analyst). Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT at the All McGuire Center.

THE STARTING FIVE

Following Marquette's win on Thursday at Xavier, it marked the third straight season that the Golden Eagles have been 3-2 in BIG EAST play through its first five games.
In what was viewed as a weakness in Cara Consuegra's first year, the 3-ball has become a strength for the Golden Eagles in Year 2. MU sits third in the country at 39.2%. Half of the team's eight players who have attempted 10 or more this season are shooting above a 40% clip.
Halle Vice enter's Sunday's game coming off three straight double-double performances. The junior has posted five on the year with four of those coming in her last five outings.
With 27 straight games with the same starting lineup, Consuegra was forced to make her first change in over 11 months as Jaidynn Mason came down ill prior to Marquette's game against Truman State on Dec. 20. Mason returned to the starting lineup on Dec. 29 but on Jan. 1 an illness to Skylar Forbes took her out of the starting lineup.
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
5 - Through 14 games, Marquette has five games with double-digit made 3-pointers. In four of the previous five years, MU had just one or fewer such games. The 2023-24 season saw six.
86.4 - During the past two seasons, Marquette is 19-3 (86.4%) under Cara Consuegra at the Al McGuire Center.
3 - With 20 points, 19 rebounds and five assists at Xavier, Halle Vice became just the third player in the country in the past two seasons to record at least 20 points, 19 rebounds and five assists in a game.

FLASHING BACK - GAME 14 AT XAVIER

Marquette won its 19th straight game against Xavier.
MU committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles outrebounded Xavier by 20 (44-24), its largest disparity against a D-I opponent since the season opener against Winthrop (48-28).
Halle Vice posted her third double-double in the last five games, finishing with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Vice's 19 rebounds were the most by a Golden Eagle since Frannie Hottinger grabbed 21 against Appalachian State on Dec. 17, 2023.
The double-double was Vice's fifth of the season.
Vice's 20-point game was her team-leading fourth of the year.
Vice also matched her career high in assists with five.
With 18 points, Lee Volker reached double figures for the first time in the last four games.
Jada Bediako scored eight points, her third game this season with at least eight.

HISTORY WITH THE WILDCATS

Marquette and Villanova will meet for the 39th time in their history.
MU holds a slim lead in the series at 20-18.
While the Golden Eagles hold the edge overall, the Wildcats have nine of the the 15 games since 2020, including the last two.
MU won last year's meeting in Milwaukee, 64-59, its first win at home in the series since Feb. 19, 2021.

PROTECTING THE AL
Since Cara Consuegra took over last season, the Golden Eagles have been dominant at the Al McGuire Center. In 22 games on its home court, Marquette has lost just three times.

This season, MU is 6-1 at home with five of those wins coming by double digits. Four of those wins have been by 25 or more.
MU dropped its first home game of the season on Dec. 29 to St. John's (73-66).

EFFICIENT FROM DEEP
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 nine games, Marquette is shooting 39.2%, an 8.5% increase, which ranks fifth in the NCAA.

Four Golden Eagles are shooting north of 40%. Jaidynn Mason is at 50.0% (9-of-18), Bridget Utberg is at 45.5% (5-of-11), Olivia Porter is at 42.3% (11-of-26), Halle Vice is at 40.7% (11-of-27) and Skylar Forbes is at 40.5% (30-of-74).
The increased efficiency from beyond the arc has also resulted in more 3-pointers per game as MU is averaging 8.4 per game, an increase of 3.2 from last season.

DIVERSIFYING THE OPTIONS
While Skylar Forbes is the Golden Eagles' top scorer at 16.7 points per game, three others have shown that they too can carry the scoring load. Two of MU's other starters--Halle Vice, Lee Volker--are also averaging double figures.

Along with Jaidynn Mason who is averaging 9.6 points per game, each of the four have led Marquette in scoring this season and all four have each posted at least one 20-point game.

DOUBLING UP
Recording her fifth double-double of the season on Jan. 1, Halle Vice moved into first in the BIG EAST in the category. The junior had just one double-double through the first five weeks of the season but has recorded four in the last five games.

Vice's fifth double-double was a career day for the junior as she posted 20 points and 19 rebounds at Xavier. She is the first Golden Eagle to record at least 20 points and 19 rebounds in the last 15 years.

VICE GRIP
Marquette's top rebounder a season ago, preseason All-BIG EAST selection Halle Vice has showed no let up on the glass this year, leading the team 11 times. The junior's 9.1 rebounds per game currently leads the BIG EAST.

Vice has had double-digit rebounding numbers six times this season.
Vice's career-high 19 rebounds at Xavier was the second-most by a BIG EAST player this season.