The Golden Eagles couldn’t get it done at the Stroh Center and had their seven game winning streak come to an end.
I had a disjointed experience with Marquette women’s basketball and their 64-62 loss to Bowling Green on Wednesday night. This is all 100% due to the start time of the WBB game coming precisely two hours before the men’s basketball game at Fiserv Forum. As such, what I did was watch the first half of action from Ohio, turn off the TV, and head to Fiserv.
What I watched was 10 minutes of, in retrospect, Marquette refusing to take advantage of a situation followed by 10 minutes of competent competitive basketball. MU lost the first quarter 12-7. We’ll get to exactly how this game ended in a second, but let’s be very clear about this: If Marquette scores 10 points, just three more, in the first quarter, the end of the game could have been wildly different. Instead, 2-for-16 shooting doomed the Golden Eagles to a five point deficit after 10 minutes.
The quarter break was apparently great news for both squads, as Bowling Green won the second quarter 20-18. Yes, 38 combined points after 19 combined points in the first period. Marquette scored eight points in less than three minutes of second quarter action, more than doubling their output for the entire first half.
With a 32-25 margin at intermission, it felt like a situation where, again, Marquette could have taken advantage of a poor offensive performance by Bowling Green in the first quarter and now they were in a bigger hole because they didn’t. Still, with the game on pace for 64-50, it easily felt like a game that the Golden Eagles could figure out how to tilt it in their favor, with a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill.
And so, I didn’t see any of the rest of the game while in transit to Fiserv. I got the MU app score alert on my phone while walking towards the arena, and as it turns out, a Jaidynn Mason layup with less than a minute to play in the third pulled Marquette within one point. However, a BGSU free throw from Kendal Mosley — who could kind of do whatever she wanted on offense when she was in there — made it a two point game with 10 minutes to go.
After I got through the ticket gate, I discovered that Marquette was within three at the fourth quarter media timeout, meaning that the Golden Eagles were going in the wrong direction. Technically, looking back, it means that they were letting Bowling Green inch away from them before inching back towards them, but you get my point.
As I sat down, the live stats told me it was Bowling Green by five with approaching just two minutes to go, and it definitely seemed like that was going to be it for Marquette….. except that was BGSU’s final field goal of the game?
And a three from Bridget Utberg made it a three point game with less than 30 seconds left? And after Marquette fouled to extend the game, Lee Volker hit a three to make it a two point game with 13 seconds left? And Marquette forced a turnover by way of a steal by Volker, and thanks to the advance the ball rules, Cara Consuegra gave MU the ball in their own end, down two, with seven seconds left?
After all of that, Marquette needed any shot to tie and a three to win. Huh.
And then Olivia Porter turned it over and Marquette lost.
Apparently. I’m just telling you what I saw on the live stats at Fiserv.
How about some highlights, such as they are, courtesy of GoMarquette.com and ESPN+?
Up Next: Marquette will look to get back on the winning end of things when they wrap up non-conference play against Stonehill on Saturday. Tipoff against the Skyhawks on the 21st is set for Noon Central time, and FloSports will have the streaming broadcast. Stonehill is 4-7 on the year after a 65-49 win on the road against Northeastern on Wednesday.