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Seven Golden Eagles scored in double digits as Marquette obliterated Providence on Friday night by a final score of 105-75.
Well, maybe obliterated isn't exactly the right word. Yes, the Golden Eagles rolled out to a 14-0 lead in the first 2:30 of the game, and they forced Providence into four turnovers against just two shots in that run. Yes, they went up 19-2 and 24-4. But the Friars didn't take that laying down (well, mostly, I guess) and they closed the first quarter on a 17-2 run to make it just a five point game after 10 minutes.
That's when Marquette said EFF THIS NOISE, and steamrolled the Friars. Maddie Jolin hit a three to cut the Marquette lead to just two points on the opening possession of the second quarter, and then it was all Marquette after that. MU outscored PC 34-15 over the next 9:44 to lead by 21 at halftime and that was pretty much it for the game. Providence did cut the lead to 14 two minutes into the second half, but Marquette answered with triples from Natisha Hiedeman and McKayla Yentz, and that was that as far as a competitive game goes.
Every active player on the Marquette roster played at least seven minutes in the game. MU was led by 18 points from Hiedeman, but that's not really an accurate representation of what happened. Allazia Blockton and Erika Davenport both threw in 17 points, along with double digit performances from Danielle King, McKayla Yentz, Shantelle Valentine, and Amani Wilborn. Valentine might have had the best game, posting her first career double-double on 11 points and a career best 11 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Elsewhere in personal bests, Wilborn notched a new mark of nine assists, and Hiedeman had seven helpers for her new best effort. Marquette's 29 assists were a season high, and the 105 points scored was the highest output by any team in the Big East this season.
With her 17 points, Allazia Blockton moved into second place in scoring amongst Marquette freshmen. She has 359 points on the season, and trails Angel Robinson's freshman record of 399 by just 40 points with at least 11 games left to be played this season.
Marquette moves to 8-11 on the season with the win, and 3-5 in Big East play. That's just one win short of last year's final total of Big East and overall wins.
Up Next: I don't think Blockton's going to take down Robinson's record in Marquette's next game, but hey, anything's possible. Marquette will be hosting Creighton at 1pm on Sunday. The Jays are 10-10 on the season and 4-4 in Big East play after losing to #24 DePaul on Friday night, 81-63.