Marquette women’s basketball (22-7, 14-3 Big East) was able to finish off its regular season on a high-note.
After St. John’s stripped the Golden Eagles of their Senior Night win last Tuesday, they traveled to Indianapolis to do the same to the Butler Bulldogs.
It all started out a little different than last time the two teams faced each other, but one thing remained the same. Senior forward Liza Karlen being the team’s sparkplug, even after having to sit for half of the first quarter and the entire second after picking up two fouls.
But once Karlen returned in the third quarter, she helped lead the Golden Eagles (22-7, 14-3 Big East) to a 74-52 win over the Bulldogs (14-15, 6-12 Big East) Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Marquette’s lead dwindled going into halftime
After capitalizing on its defense in the first quarter, Marquette had led the Bulldogs by 6 going into the second frame.
Forcing Butler into seven turnovers and moving on the pass, Marquette had its hands on every play, but it was in the last three minutes of the first half where Butler turned it around and head coach Megan Duffy’s smile started to fall away.
The Golden Eagles — while in their 2:48 scoring drought, shooting 0-for-5 from the field — had seen Butler use every moment to their advantage.
The Bulldogs shot 5-for-5 from inside the paint on a 10-0 run closing Marquette’s 33-20 lead to two points, 35-33 going into halftime.
But Marquette outscored Butler 39-19 in the second half to re-extend its lead and win the game comfortably.
Everyone plays a role
The Golden Eagles delivered a well-balanced scoring performance, having four players finish in double-figures.
Karlen led Marquette with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, followed by senior guard Jordan King who ended with 17 after shooting 3-for-4 from behind the arc. King went 3-for-3 from deep in the final 10 minutes, scoring 11 of the Golden Eagles’ 20 points in the frame.
J is perfect this half!
3-of-3 from beyond the arc.#MUWBB pic.twitter.com/rR4HkciweX
— Marquette WBB (@MarquetteWBB) March 2, 2024
Together, both Karlen and King combined for 28 of Marquette’ 39 points in the second half.
First-year forward Skylar Forbes went 6-for-9 from the field, scored her third career 3-pointer and ended with 13 points.
SKY
#MUWBB pic.twitter.com/wdcEEzXLTn
— Marquette WBB (@MarquetteWBB) March 2, 2024
Senior guard Rose Nkumu also added double-digit points (11) along with her team-most-tying six rebounds.
In the final minutes, Duffy rounded up the bench. Sophomore guard Bridget Utberg, junior forward Abbey Cracknell and first-year guard Halle Vice all saw the court.
Up next
Marquette now turns toward the Big East Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The Golden Eagles earned the first-round bye, and will play the Villanova Wildcats Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CST in the quarterfinals.
This story was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.