Chloe Marotta’s Big Day Leads Marquette Past Milwaukee

When you almost have a double-double in the first half, you’re probably going to have a big day, and your team is probably doing pretty well, too.

That’s what was up for Chloe Marotta, who had nine points and eight rebounds already with 2:31 left in the second quarter. Her performance helped push Marquette women’s basketball to a 19 point lead at intermission as the Golden Eagles went on to win, 73-47, against Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. Three games in the first seven days of the season are in the books, and Marquette is a perfect 3-0.

Marquette grabbed control of the game late in the first quarter, breaking up a 9-9 tie with a 10-0 run powered by a pair of triples from Claire Kaifes, who got the start for the Golden Eagles. The margin was nine at the end of the period, but Marquette got a 7-0 run out of the gate in the second to go up 16.

From there, it seemed like the Panthers were doing a good job making Marquette work for what they could get. MU went over three minutes without scoring, but Milwaukee only managed four points in the interim. Liza Karlen got the Golden Eagles back on the board, and then swiped it from Kamy Peppler on the other end to turn that into a triple by Kaifes. The margin crested 20 points for the first time on some free throws from Emily La Chapell with 69 seconds left before halftime, and the lead was 19 at the break.

The final 20 minutes was pretty much just an exercise in how far ahead Marquette could stay ahead of Milwaukee. The lead hovered around 20 for a while in the third, hit 25 just past the midway point and got back there on a bucket from Marotta with 3:41 to go..... and then no one for either team hit a field goal until there was 8:10 left in the game. Grace Crowley’s points in the paint for the visitors made the lead 24, and that’s the closest that Milwaukee would get in the final 10 minutes.

Marotta played more than anyone else on the Marquette roster, maybe because head coach Megan Duffy knew she was close to a triple-double. Midway through the third, she was only four assists away, but MU didn’t need her to distribute to keep the lead where it was, and that’s where she ended up. Marotta added a game high 19 points and a game high 16 rebounds to the proceedings, plus a block and a steal, too. Liza Karlen was the only other MU player in double digits, finishing with 13 points, but she added four rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and a steal. Jordan King led Marquette with seven helpers as she struggled to shoot the ball all afternoon. Every active Golden Eagles played in this game, and eight women chipped in at least five points.

I want to tip my cap to Makiyah Williams, who had a very good 15 minutes off the bench. Four points, four rebounds, an assist, and a ferocious block of a three-pointer in that stretch, but more importantly, she was a bundle of energy on the floor.

How about some highlights, courtesy of GoMarquette.com and FloSports?

Up Next: Well, at least the weather should be nice. Marquette is off until Saturday, partially because they have to travel to the Bahamas. Their next game is their first of three as part of the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis. First up for the Golden Eagles? Preseason #3 Texas. The Longhorns are 1-0 on the year, but they’ll visit Connecticut on Monday night before they make their way to the Atlantis resort for the tournament.