WBB Meets Providence For First Time In 2025-26 On Wednesday

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball team is coming off its third road win in the last two weeks and returns home riding a four-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles look to continue their current form and go for their 16th straight win over Providence on Wednesday evening.

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

THE STARTING FIVE

Following back-to-back defeats during the middle of January, Marquette has turned to its defense in recent weeks to turn the tide. The Golden Eagles have held three of their last four opponents to 60 points or less. The one that scored over 70, DePaul, which scored the most points against MU since Dec. 29, was held to just 35.9% shooting from the field though.
With a record of 1-4 in games decided by 10 points or less prior to Jan. 21, Marquette has won its last four games by single digits. The close wins have been 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 three weeks ago, Halle Vice has returned to to from, breaking out for 23 points at Butler on Jan. 25. The last two games have seen the junior record back-to-back double-doubles, her eighth and ninth of the season.
Bookending the past three weeks with 20-point performances, Lee Volker has stepped up her scoring recently, averaging 14.3 points per game during her last six. A chunk of those points have come from beyond the arc where the grad student has shot 51.6% during the stretch (16-of-31).
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. Though everyone returned, the Golden Eagles have had just two games this season (Winthrop, Georgetown) with everyone available (excluding J.J. Barnes and Aryelle Stevens who were ruled out for the year heading into the season).

BY THE NUMBERS
56.6% - During its most efficient three-game shooting stretch of the season, Marquette has shot 56.6% from the field in its last three games. That includes three games over 50% and a 64.4% outing against DePaul.
47 - Opening the season with back-to-back 20 turnover games, Marquette had just two such games in its next 18 contests. But during the last two games, MU has committed a combined 47 with 24 followed by 23.
9 - Halle Vice collected her league-leading ninth double-double on Feb. 1. It was her second straight after not recording one in three straight games. She is up to 15 for her career.

FLASHING BACK - GAME 22 AT GEORGETOWN

In seven BIG EAST road games, Marquette has held five opponents under 60 points, winning all five.
MU shot 46.2% from 3 (6-of-13).
MU shot above 50% from the field for the third straight game. The 54.3% is the fourth-highest shooting percentage for the Golden Eagles in a game this season.
Skylar Forbes, Jaidynn Mason, Halle Vice and Lee Volkers all scored in double figures for the second straight game.
Volker finished with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 from 3. It was two points back of her career which she set last year at Seton Hall.
It was the seventh 20-point game of Volker's career and third this season.
Vice posted her ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Skylar Forbes recorded back-to-back games with four blocks.

HISTORY WITH THE FRIARS

Marquette and Georgetown will meet for the 34th time in their history.
Marquette holds the series lead at 28-5.
The Golden Eagles have won 16 straight in the series dating back to Jan. 10, 2018.
MU has won nine consecutive home games over the Friars with its last defeat coming on Jan. 23, 2015.

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.

SHARING IS CARING
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 17 of MU's 22 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. 20 in the NCAA in assists at 18.0 per game.
Marquette is very balanced in its distribution with five players averaging between 2.2-4.5 assists per game.

A WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Recording her ninth double-double of the season on Jan. 28, Halle Vice continues to lead the BIG EAST in the category. The junior had just one double-double through the first five weeks of the season but has recorded six during an eight-game stretch from Dec. 14-Jan. 14. Working through an injury, Vice recorded No. 8 on Jan. 28 and No. 9 four days later.

Her stretch of four straight games (Dec. 20-Jan. 4) with a double-double is the longest stretch of consecutive double-doubles by a Golden Eagle since Erika Davenport had a double-double in five straight games in 2019 (Jan. 11-25).
Vice's nine double-doubles ranks 27th in the NCAA.

ELITE COMBINATION
Not just a shot blocker, not just a 3-point shooter, Skylar Forbes is proving this season that she is both. Forbes is currently shooting 37.6% from deep while also posting 2.0 blocks per game (25th).

Forbes is the only player in the country currently averaging 2.0 blocks per game and shooting over 37% from 3 (min. 20 attempts).
Forbes is one of four players in the country who has attempted at least 100 3-pointers while averaging 2.0 blocks per game.

DIALING UP FROM LONG DISTANCE
A 41.5% 3-point shooter a season ago, Lee Volker has bumped that number up to 44.0% this year. That number has the grad student a tenth of a percent behind her former AAU teammate Azzi Fudd for the top spot in the BIG EAST.