After being on the road its last four games, the Marquette women’s basketball team returned to the Al McGuire Center for Senior Day against the St. John’s Redstorm.
Behind a strong performance down the stretch in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles etched out a 79-75 victory.
Here’s a breakdown of Marquette’s win:
Game MVP:
Graduate student forward Lauren Van Kleunen suited up one last time in front of the home fans at the Al. The Mason, Ohio, native sparked he momentum in the fourth quarter for Marquette’s offense as she finished with 22 points on the afternoon.
“It’s great to get a win at the last home game,” Van Kleunen. “We’ve had a lot of close games and the grittiness to come out is huge.”
Key stats:
- Marquette finished with season-high seven blocks on the afternoon, led by sophomore forward Liza Karlen’s three.
- The Golden Eagles went 55% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
- The Read Storm ended the afternoon with a 48.1% from the field and went 53.3% beyond the arc.
- Marquette out-rebounded St. John’s 32-30 on the afternoon.
- Van Kleunen and graduate student guard Karissa McLaughlin combined for 41 of Marquette’s 79 points.
Notes:
- The team honored Van Kleunen, McLaughlin and Antwainette Walker prior to tip-off for senior night
- Walker finished with a balanced stat line of five points, five boards, three assists and a career-high tying three steals.
- Karlen posted a double-double of 15-points and 10 rebounds
- With the win, Marquette locked up the No. 5 seed in the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament this upcoming weekend.
- St. John’s junior guard Leilani Correa and senior guard Kadaja Bailey finished with 22 points a piece.
Quote of the day:
In what was her final home game, Van Kleunen played in her 155th game of her collegiate career which is the most any Marquette student-athlete has participated in.
“I’ve been here a really long time. But to be able to be listed in the names of great athletes that have come through here, whatever that sport is, to be able to have that chance to be a part of that is awesome,” Van Kleunen said.
Next up:
Marquette (20-9, 13-7 BIG EAST) will now prepare for the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, which begins Friday at Mohegan Sun Area in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The Golden Eagles will match up against the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
This article was written by Ava Mares. She can be reached at ava.mares@marquette.edu or on Twitter @avamaresMU
