There was no doubt about it

Golden Eagles cruise to Big East semifinals

The Marquette women’s basketball team had an easy time in its postseason opener.

Senior forward Lauren Van Kleunen scored 17 points as the Golden Eagles rolled past Providence, 68-43, on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut.

MU (18-5) advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight season. The Golden Eagles will play at 5 p.m. Milwaukee time on Sunday.

MU never trailed in the game, with sophomore forward Camryn Taylor opening the scoring with a layup and the Golden Eagles taking a 15-6 lead after the first quarter.

The Friars scored on a three-point play to open the second quarter, but MU ripped off a 12-0 run a few minutes later and took a 33-15 lead into the break.

The lead ballooned to 58-28 in the fourth quarter, allowing the Golden Eagles’ rotation players to rest down the stretch.

Taylor also scored in double figures with 12 points.

“It’s been awesome playing with her,” Van Kleunen said of Taylor. “And I think just seeing her growth mind-set this year, I think one of the big things we worked on this year was just my chemistry with one and another. And just understanding angles and how to play off one another.”

The Golden Eagles, not normally a three-point shooting team, finished 6 for 14 from long distance with sophomores Claire Kaifes and Liz Karlen each knocking down two.

“I think we’ve talked all year long about how our team success isn’t predicated on how many threes we make,” MU coach Megan Duffy said. “But it’s always nice when the ball is moving to hit open shots. And I thought that’s what we did a few more times tonight.

“It was nice to see Claire Kaifes knock down a couple threes and see that ball go through the hoop. My concern with the offense has always been ball movement, work it inside and outside. And if we’re getting high percentage and high quality shots, whether that’s in the paint or from three, we’re happy with that.”

MU’s defense smothered Providence, which finished 15 for 50 (30%). The Golden Eagles only allowed the Friars to pull down two offensive rebounds.

DAVID BUTLER II / USA TODAY Marquette’s Lauren Van Kleunen puts up a shot as Providence’s Alyssa Geary defends during the third quarter.

DAVID BUTLER II / USA TODAY SPORTS Marquette guard Selena Lott goes up for a shot against Providence during the second quarter.