Nov. 26, 2007

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MILWAUKEE - Led by junior Marissa Thrower and freshman Paige Fiedorowicz, the Marquette women's basketball team wore down William & Mary and earned a 79-61 victory on Monday night at the Al McGuire Center. Thrower and Fiedorowicz each notched career-highs, totaling 19 and 17 points, respectively.

With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 3-2 overall.

"We've come off a difficult road trip out west, difficult in losing two-in-a-row and playing without Krystal (Ellis)," head coach Terri Mitchell said. "Today was certainly a game about character, and about finding ourselves and our identity again. We put up some goals on the board about rebounding, and about lower turnovers, and I think a very young team is understanding the consistency that it takes to win."

MU jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game, while holding William & Mary scoreless until the 16:38 mark. The Golden Eagles increased their lead on a 12-0 run, taking the score to 20-3, with 13:40 remaining in the half.

With 4:23 remaining in the first, Marquette held on to a 35-18 lead, but saw it cut in half as the Tribe went on an 11-2 run in the final minutes of the first half. The Golden Eagles would go into the locker room with a 37-29 advantage.

Fiedorowicz was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, posting 10 points in the first half, while junior Erin Monfre tallied eight points in the first, including hitting 2-of-4 from long range. As a team, the Golden Eagles shot 48.5 percent (16-33).

The teams opened the second half evenly, each connecting for nine points, with the Golden Eagles in front, 46-38 with 15:42 remaining. Marquette pushed its lead back to 10 points, up 61-51 with 6:07 remaining following a lay-up from senior Svetlana Kovalenko. The Golden Eagles kept increasing their advantage, and went ahead 68-53 thanks to consecutive jumpers from Thrower. MU would finish the game on an 11-7 run to earn the 79-61 win.

For the game, the Golden Eagles shot 43.7 percent from the field (31-71).

Freshman Angel Robinson was the third MU player in double figures, with 10 points. She also dished out a career-high eights assists and collected five steals.

Marquette dominated the boards, out rebounding the Tribe 46-28, led by Kovalenko's 11 and Fiedorowicz's six rebounds.

The Golden Eagles' bench production was significant, tallying 38 points, while William & Mary's bench players were held to just 10.

MU will be back on the court on Saturday, Dec. 1 when they travel to Green Bay. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m., at the Kress Center.

Post-game Notes

* Marquette made nine of its first 10 field goals to open the game with a 22-3 run.

* Marquette shot a season best 43.7 percent from the floor including a season high 48.5 percent in the first half.

* Junior Marissa Thrower was Marquette's leading scorer with a career-best 19 points. She connected on a career high 7-of-14 attempts from the floor. 15 of her points were scored in the second half. It was the fourth time of Thrower's career to score 10 or more points.

* Marquette had three players in double figures led by Thrower (19). Paige Fiedorowicz added a career high 17 and Angel Robinson gave Marquette 10. It was the first time of Fiedorowicz's career to score 10 or more points, fourth time of Robinson's career.

* Robinson gave out a career best eight assists. It is the second consecutive game Robinson has registered five or more assists.

* The Golden Eagles recorded an Al McGuire Center record 16 steals. Robinson led the charge with five.

* Senior Svetlana tallied double-digit rebounds (11) for the third time this season and fifth time of her career.

* Marquette's bench outscored William & Mary's bench 38-10. The 38 bench points are a season high.

* Marquette out-scored William & Mary in the paint, 46-18. The 46 points in the paint are also a season high.

* With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 48-7 all-time at the Al McGuire Center.