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Marquette Falls to DePaul, 73-69, in BIG EAST First Round
March 8, 2008 HARTFORD, Conn. - Marquette twice got within a point late in the game but could not get over the hump and the Golden Eagles fell to DePaul 73-69 in the first round of the BIG EAST women's basketball tournament Saturday at the XL Center. DePaul (20-10), the No, 9 seed, advances to play top-ranked Connecticut in Sunday's quarterfinals. MU (16-14) looks to receive a post-season call on March 17. DePaul built a 14-8 lead five minutes into the game, but starting guards Allie Quigley and Missy Mitidiero both were called for three fouls and sat out the remainder of the first half. Marquette responded with a 14-2 run. The Golden Eagles took their first lead on a 3-pointer by Tatiyiana McMorris and led by as many as six after another by fellow freshman Angel Robinson. Robinson led MU with nine points in the first half. Quigley had 11 and Felicia Chester nine for DePaul as the teams went into intermission tied at 32. The Golden Eagles held the Blue Demons to just 34.5% shooting (10-29), but DePaul returned the favor in the second half, holding MU to only 32.4% (12-37). Quigley hit two 3-pointers before Krystal Ellis hit a pull-up 3-pointer and a driving layup to give MU a 43-42 lead four minutes into the second half. But that would be the last time the Golden Eagles would be in front. Deirdre Naughton hit two 3-pointers as DePaul went on an 8-0 run to re-take the lead for good. She had 13 of her 14 points in the second half as the Blue Demons opened their biggest lead at 63-53 with 6:13 to play. But MU responded with a 11-2 run of its own to cut it to 65-64 with 3:36 to go. Nine of the points came from the free-throw line. Taylor Pikes and Quigley scored to put DePaul up by five, but baskets by Svetlana Kovalenko and Ellis made it a one-point game again with 1:50 remaining. DePaul took control for good on baskets by Quigley and Chester.
Ellis led MU with 15 points, Robinson had 14 and Kovalenko 11 before the senior fouled out in the final seconds. Quigley had 27 to lead all scorers. NOTES: * Four Marquette players scored in double figures; Krystal Ellis (15), Angel Robinson (14), Svetlana Kovalenko (11) and Janelle Harris. * The game featured four lead changes and two ties. * MU beat DePaul 65-56 in Milwaukee in the regular season. This was the third time the rivals have met in postseason play in the Terri Mitchell era. MU won both previous meetings in the 1997 and 2004 Conference USA Tournaments. MU is now 20-29 all-time against DePaul, but still has won five of the last eight matchups. * Marquette is now 1-3 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament. * MU is now 4-8 this season in games decided by five points or less. MU had been 3-0 in games tied at the half before today's loss. * The Golden Eagles were just 3-18 from 3-point range with Krystal Ellis, Angel Robinson and Tatiyiana McMorris connecting once each. * Marquette finished the game 14-of-18 from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles made 12 of those shots in the second half. * Redshirt freshman Jocelyn Mellen had 10 rebounds, reaching double figures in that category for the second straight game and the fourth time this season. She tied an Al McGuire Center record with 16 boards in the regular-season finale. * Freshman Angel Robinson led MU with five assists and was second to Mellen in rebounds with six, but also was charged with seven turnovers. * Allie Quigley's 27 points were the fourth-most scored by an MU opponent this season. |
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