WBB Hosts DePaul on Wednesday Night

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball team looks to extend its winning streak to three as DePaul comes to town on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles will look to complete the season sweep of the Blue Demons after defeating them earlier this season on Dec. 4 (85-54).

Tipoff from the Al McGuire Center is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Bob Brainerd (pxp) and Chloe Marotta (analyst) will be on the call for ESPN+.

THE STARTING FIVE

Wednesday will mark the Golden Eagles' second home game in the last 20 days as they are currently on a stretch of playing four of six games on the road from Jan. 9-Feb. 1.
With a record of 1-6 when scoring below 67 points through the first 18 games of the season, Marquette was below that number in each of the last two games but came away with wins in both, with both coming on the road, a one-point win at St. John's and a four-point win at Butler.
The two close wins last week were a change of pace for Marquette as most of its wins have been by significant margins. Nine of the Golden Eagles' first 11 wins had been by 16 or more points.
Injured just over two weeks ago, Halle Vice has begun to return to to from, breaking out for 23 points at Butler on Sunday. It was her first 20-point game since going for 32 against Villanova on Jan. 4. The junior took over during a crucial stretch in the second quarter after the Bulldogs opened the period with three straight 3-pointers. Vice then scored 12 points during a 19-0 Golden Eagle run to close the half.
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
50% - When Marquette shot 51.0% from the field at Butler, it marked the eighth time this season that MU had shot at least 50% from the field. MU is 8-0 this season when doing so.
59.1 - In seven games since Jan. 1, Marquette is holding opponents to 59.1 points per game. MU is 5-2 during the
10.4% - Shooting 38.4% from 3 this season, Marquette is no slouch defending the 3 either. MU ranks eighth in the NCAA in its percentage difference (10.4%) between its 3-point offense and 3-point defense.

FLASHING BACK - GAME 20 AT BUTLER

Marquette won its 21st game in the last 24 against Butler.
MU won its second straight game scoring below 67 points after going 1-6 in the previous such games.
MU shot at least 50% from the field for the eighth time this season, finishing 26-of-51 for 51.0%.
MU shot 50% from 3 (6-of-12), its best percentage from deep since Jan. 4.
The Golden Eagles won their first game under Cara Consuegra when allowing an opponent to shoot above 45% as the Bulldogs shot 45.5%.
Finishing with 23 points, Halle Vice posted her sixth 20-point game of the season and her first since Jan. 4.
Jaidynn Mason's 16 points were her most since Jan. 4. The senior shot 6-of-12 from the field and dished out four assists.
Fourteen of Mason's points came in the second half.

LAKESIDE NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH
Separated by about 90 miles, Marquette and DePaul have been playing one another since 1978. While the Blue Demons hold the series lead at 49-40, it is the Golden Eagles who have controlled the series recently. MU has won the last eight meetings dating back to a 20-point win in the BIG EAST tournament in 2022.

Marquette's eight-game win streak is the longest for either team in the series since DePaul won the first 11 games in a row (1978-90).

DEFENSE IS TRAVELING
In BIG EAST play, Marquette has put its defense on display on the road. In six games, the Golden Eagles have held four opponents to 60 points or less on their home courts.

Excluding UConn which scored 89, 25 more points than the next closest team, MU is allowing 57.4 points per game to BIG EAST opponents on the road.

START ON THE FRONT FOOT
While some teams can start slow and pick up steam in games, Marquette has struggled a bit in doing that. Seven times this season, the Golden Eagles opponents' haven't scored first. MU is 1-6 in those games compared to 12-1 when scoring first.

The tip has also been an indicator the Golden Eagles as they are 1-3 this season when losing the tipoff. At Butler on Jan. 25, Marquette won its first game when losing the tip.

PROTECTING THE AL
Since Cara Consuegra took over last season, the Golden Eagles have been dominant at the Al McGuire Center. In 25 games on its home court, Marquette is 21-4.

This season, MU is 8-2 at home with seven of those wins coming by double digits. Four of those wins have been by 25 or more.

STRETCHING THE FLOOR
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 19 games, Marquette is shooting 38.4%, an 7.7% increase, which is seventh in the NCAA.

The increased efficiency from beyond the arc has also resulted in more 3-pointers per game as MU is averaging 7.9 per game (51st in the NCAA), an increase of 2.7 from last season.
Through 20 games, Marquette has six games with double-digit made 3-pointers. In four of the previous five years, MU had just one or fewer such games. Like this season, the 2023-24 season saw six such games.

HIT YOUR 3, DEFEND THE 3
While Marquette ranks as one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country at 38.4%, it ranks 69th in 3-point defense at 28.0%. The Golden Eagles' 10.4% difference ranks as the eighth largest difference in the NCAA and is 1.5% behind UCLA and UConn.

With only a 0.6% difference between its 3-point offense and 3-point defense a year ago, the Golden Eagles have a 9.8% increase in its difference this season. That ranks as the ninth-highest percent increase in the country this year.

SHARING THE ROCK
Shooting north of 45% from the field this year has been due in part because of Marquette's unselfish nature, looking not just for a good shot but for the best shot. In 15 of MU's 20 games, six different Golden Eagles have recorded an assist. On six occasions, eight or more have been credited with an assist.

On Nov. 3, Marquette had a season-high 10 different players record an assist.
MU ranks No. 22 in the NCAA in assists at 18.0 per game.
Marquette is very balanced in its distribution with five players averaging between 2.0-4.4 assists per game.

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Players Mentioned

Jaidynn Mason

Halle Vice

Marquette University Athletics