Marquette (19-8, 11-5 Big East) went into the nation’s capital and beat Georgetown (11-16, 4-12) after not allowing a field goal in the last 5:58 and getting a season-high 18 points from junior guard Jaidynn Mason.
The Golden Eagles were in trouble with 2:46 to go down 49-47 after a quick Hoya 4-0 scoring run. From there, it was all Marquette. Sophomore forward Skylar Forbes tied it up at 49 with a layup with 2:39 to go. Then, Mason found junior guard Olivia Porter on a back cut to take the lead. Later, Mason made the dagger layup with 13 seconds left to take a commanding 53-50 lead.
Role Players Step Up
Forbes and senior guard Lee Volker both picked up two fouls in the first half and sat for the final 6 minutes and change because of it. Volker and Forbes did not have their best game, partially because of the foul issues and Georgetown’s aggressive defense. They combined to go just 4-for-19 from the field, scoring 14 points.
Mason scored nearly 10 points higher than her season average 8.4, while shooting 8-of-15, adding four assists and two rebounds. She scored 14 points in the first half in Volker and Forbes’s absence and was the main reason for Marquette’s 28-26 first-half lead.
Sophomore guard Halle Vice had a double-double with 10 points (2-for-8) and 12 rebounds. Porter contributed seven points and three assists.
Defense wins games
According to Bart Torvik, the Golden Eagles entered the game ranked 27th in adjusted defense efficiency and 103rd in offense.
Georgetown is a vastly different team, ranking 71st on offense and 162nd on defense.
The Golden Eagles shut down the Hoyas’ strong offense by holding them to 17-for-52 (32.7 percent) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from downtown. Marquette also forced 18 Georgetown turnovers and scored 11 points off those turnovers.
Graduate guard Kelsey Ransom scored 22 points (6-for-14), but no other Hoya scored more than eight points, and Marquette didn’t give up more than 14 points in a quarter.
Georgetown played an above-average defensive game as well. It held the Golden Eagles to 19-for-56 (33.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from 3-point territory. The Hoyas forced 13 Marquette turnovers and scored 18 points off those turnovers.
Up Next
Marquette will return to action on Thursday, February 27th at the Al McGuire Center against the Xavier Musketeers (6-21, 1-15 Big East). Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
Thursday will be the Golden Eagles’ last home game of the season and senior night for Lee Volker and Abbey Cracknell.
This story was written by Max Mullin. He can be reached at maxwell.mullin@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MullinMax.