MU women get second shot at No. 1 UConn
Megan Duffy’s first two seasons as head coach of the Marquette women’s basketball team have surpassed expectations.
Last season, MU was picked to finish ninth in the Big East and ended up second in the regular season before falling to DePaul in the conference tournament title game. The Golden Eagles would have made the NCAA Tournament, but the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season.
This season, Big East coaches predicted MU would finish third. The Golden Eagles clinched the No. 2 seeding in the conference tournament after beating DePaul on the road, 85-71, on Wednesday.
But there’s a new challenge in the Big East this season with the return of national powerhouse Connecticut, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press and coaches polls.
The Huskies (19-1, 16-0 Big East) routed the Golden Eagles (17-4, 14-3), 87-58, on Feb. 5 at the Al McGuire Center. MU gets another chance for an upset at Connecticut in the regular-season finale Monday.
“I want us to come in with more confidence,” Duffy said Friday. “I know we’re going out to their place. There’s a psychological battle with playing them. I thought we were a little back on our heels after that first quarter (in the first matchup).
“I need us to be better defensively. I think there were some things that we really struggled with guarding their cutting action. They’re one of the best space teams in the country. The way they move, space the floor and cut. I didn’t think we did a great job of handling that.”
MU’s back-to-back losses to Connecticut and DePaul came at the end of an exhausting stretch of four games in seven days. The Golden Eagles have won five straight since then.
“I think the chemistry has grown within the last couple weeks,” sophomore guard Jordan King said. “I just think right now we’re playing hard and we’re competing hard. I just think it’s really been us coming together, really, and playing for each other.”
Selena Lott and Lauren Van Kleunen have been rolling during the winning streak, with the seniors combining to average 30.2 points in that span. Van Kleunen had 18 points against Connecticut in the first matchup, but Lott had just four.
“Selena and Lauren are going to have to carry us,” Duffy said. “They’re going to carry us by their rebounding, their scoring but just their focus and getting us ready to play. They’ve done it all year.
“I’m looking forward to seeing them on Monday. Because I know they weren’t real thrilled with their first game against UConn. So it will fun to see them try to bounce back. They know what this is all about.”
The Golden Eagles will also have to slow Huskies freshman phenom Paige Bueckers, who averages 20.1 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. She went off for 30 points in the first game against MU, shooting 6 for 9 on threepointers.
“She’s a great player who can score at all three levels,” King said. “I think that’s one of the hardest things to guard is a player that can score at all three levels. We’re definitely going to make some adjustments defensively to hopefully have a different outcome this second time.”
The Golden Eagles can’t get into a shootout with the run-and-gun Huskies, who put up 82.9 points per game. MU likes to get the ball into the paint and hit the glass. Sophomore forward Camryn Taylor is a big inside presence, averaging 11.6 points and seven rebounds per game. She had 10 points and 11 boards against the Huskies.
“I think what I need to do as an individual is just do my job,” Taylor said. “I’m a rebounder. I’m a scorer. Just reading the right reads. Setting screens. Getting my teammates open. And just being the energy person. Being the emotional support for everybody.
“If somebody isn’t doing their best, that’s when I step up. I think we all are feeling that. That understanding if we all do our job we can go up against anybody.”