You have to set some parameters as to how you want to think about Marquette women’s basketball’s 71-55 victory over Bowling Green on Friday night at the McGuire Center.
Thinking about how Marquette went up 15-9 in the first 9:05 after losing by over 40 points to Minnesota? Pretty fun!
Thinking about how Marquette ran off nine straight points in the final three minutes of the third quarter to boost the lead to 12 points? Pretty fun!
Thinking about how Marquette extended that into a 23-4 run stretching
deep into the fourth quarter that left the Golden Eagles with a 22 point lead, their largest of the game? Pretty fun!
Thinking about how Bowling Green outscored Marquette 33-27 in between that first nine minutes and the 9-0 run to end the third? Not really fun at all, especially when you remember that this is a Falcons team that beat MU in the Stroh Center last season.
Thinking about how Skylar Forbes missed her first five shots of the game, some of them comedically awful shots that operated effectively as turnovers as MU committed an actual turnover on 24% of their possessions? Not fun at all!
Thinking about how I could hear Marquette head coach Cara Consuegra shouting GET A REBOUND at her team from the other side of the McGuire Center at one point? Not super fun, even if Marquette’s defensive rebounding ended up being totally acceptable at the end of 40 minutes.
I’m saying the game was a mixed bag and even the big push in the second half didn’t really feel like Marquette was blowing the Falcons off the floor even if the 23-4 run certainly says that they were. Everything felt like it was hard for Marquette to even try in this game, on both ends of the floor, to be honest. That’s not a problem that getting Kennedi Perkins back in the lineup would really solve, although it was good to see her on the Marquette bench in this game, otherwise unbothered by her scary stretcher ride out of the Wisconsin game last weekend.
Lee Volker gets top honors in this game, putting up 23 points (team high), 7 rebounds (team high), three assists, and a steal in 31 minutes of action. She was strong with the ball with none of MU’s 17 turnovers and efficient with her shot at 9-for-14, including 3-for-5 from long range.
The Golden Eagles also got 18 points from Halle Vice, as Bowling Green couldn’t do a dang thing about her inside if MU could get her the ball. Skylar Forbes went 4-for-5 on her next five shots, including cashing two from long range to finish with 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Jaidynn Mason had a strong across the board game, getting 11 points to wrap up the list of double digit scorers, but also adding two rebounds, a team high seven assists, and a block AND three steals.
How about some highlights, courtesy of GoMarquette.com and ESPN+?
Up Next: Marquette is off until Wednesday when they hit the road but won’t leave town. That means a game against Milwaukee over at the Klotsche Center, where tip time on ESPN+ is set for 6pm Central. The Panthers are 1-3 on the season and will visit Valparaiso on Sunday before preparing for the Golden Eagles.
