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If the ball is loose and bouncing around, grab it. It's that easy. You might argue that putting the ball through the rim is simpler. It's definitely more important, but it's not as simple as mere possession of the ball.
Marquette had a season low nine turnovers compared to 12 for Pittsburgh. When it comes to rebounding, the Golden Eagles grabbed 50% of their missed shots, while the Panthers only grabbed 44.2% of their misses. Toss that all in a nice shaker, mix it up, and you get a nine point road win for MU as they move to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in the Big East.
Marquette got a huge boost from their front line in this game. Redshirt freshman Lauren Tibbs had a career high 14 points in her second career start, Chelsie Butler threw together 10 points and five rebounds - four on the offensive end - in just 16 minutes off the bench, and Katherine Plouffe still might have had the best game out of the group: 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Four Panthers scored in double digits, led by Briana Kiesel with 18. Marquette was able to hold down the contributions of Pitt's leading scorer and rebounder, as Asia Logan only recorded seven points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Two notes coming out of this game, and both from a player availability perspective: Apiew Ojulu did not play in this game after playing 11 minutes against Seton Hall, and Sarina Simmons left the game at the 16:19 mark of the second half and was ruled out of the rest of the game with an ankle injury.
Abbie Willenborg Player Of The Game: I know I've said we really like the phrase "career high" around these parts, but it's hard to ignore a near triple-double from Katherine Plouffe. Hopefully Simmons and Ojulu will not be missing extended stretches of time and cause Marquette to need these kind of games from Plouffe.
Clare Barnard Undersung Eagle Of The Game: Six points, six rebounds, no turnovers and three steals in 22 minutes fits the bill nicely. This one's for you, Katie Young.
Up Next: Marquette returns home for a weeknight contest against Louisville. If you can't make it down or don't want to brave the single digit temperatures, the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.