I’m not trying to make this out to be some kind of moral victory for Marquette women’s basketball on Saturday at the McGuire Center. Yes, they are the first team in the last 15 games for #1 UConn to keep the margin inside 30 points, as the 71-56 final in Milwaukee, is just 15 points. Heck, Marquette was never even down by 30 points as the biggest lead of the entire game was 21 points early on in the fourth quarter. Making the Huskies put them in the ground, something even ranked teams have struggled
to make UConn do this season, is a nice showing from Marquette.
My problem with this, with Marquette cutting a third quarter margin of 15 down to just eight with a 7-0 run, with Marquette never letting margin get further than 14 until the final minute of the first half even while turning the ball over 15 times before intermission, my problem is this:
Where was this kind of hustle and stick-to-it-ness and whatever else you want to say for the last month?
Over and over and over again since the Golden Eagles moved to 5-2 in Big East play with a win over Creighton on January 8th, Marquette has had one kind of fight or another going on in their game. Either blowing a lead against Seton Hall or giving up a 19-0 run to start the Georgetown game or very nearly losing after holding a 20 point lead against DePaul or blowing a big lead against Creighton and losing in overtime, or just letting Seton Hall push away down the stretch back on Wednesday in the McGuire Center…. over and over and over again, Cara Consuegra’s team has looked unprepared for the moment or they have failed to meet the moment or whatever other metaphor you want to use or they’ve just been a lousy basketball team for just long enough to cause a problem for themselves.
Not here, not on this day.
UConn needed a 17-4 run bridging the third and fourth quarter to officially bury the Golden Eagles and leave them in the rear view mirror. Sarah Strong showed up in a big way when it mattered for UConn and Marquette had nothing for the presumptive national player of the year after halftime. She shot 8-for-11 for 19 of her 22 points in the second half, and honestly, if she doesn’t? Maybe we’re writing a different recap.
And because it was Strong herself dragging UConn across the line after intermission, I’m left with the belief that if Marquette had played like this in their other five Big East losses, they’d be alone in second place in the Big East. It took that kind of effort from a great player to stop the Golden Eagles here. That kind of effort from Marquette elsewhere this season, and MU is putting the finishing touches on an NCAA tournament resume.
Instead, they’re 16-10 with a 10-7 mark in the Big East and looking to avoid a fourth straight loss a week from now.
Highlights, courtesy of GoMarquette.com and Fox Sports:
Up Next: Hopefully the message for the next week is “if we do that again, we win.” On Sunday, February 22, Marquette takes their three game losing streak on the road to face Villanova. Tipoff on that one is set for 2:3-pm Central, and Peacock will have the broadcast. The Wildcats are currently on a five game winning streak, but they have to visit Creighton on Sunday and host UConn on Wednesday before MU shows up at The Finn.
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