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women_s_basketball:notre_dame_1-13-09

Marquette closes strong to earn its first win over a top 10 team

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – Angel Robinson scored 19 and Krystal Ellis added 18 to help Marquette upset Notre Dame (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) 75-65 on Tuesday night, snapping the Fighting Irish's seven-game winning streak.

The game was tied at 52 with 10:18 remaining. Marquette closed the game on a 23-13 run. Ellis sparked the surge with two 3-pointers and Robinson added seven points for the Golden Eagles (11-5, 2-1 Big East).

Junior guards Melissa Lechlitner and Ashely Barlow led the Fighting Irish (14-2, 3-1) with 15 points each.

It was Marquette's first win over a top 10 team.

MU Derails Nationally Ranked Fighting Irish, 75-65

Golden Eagles celebrate first win over top-10 opponent

MILWAUKEE – Sophomore Angel Robinson scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half Tuesday to lead four Marquette players in double figures as the Golden Eagles rallied for a 75-65 win over No. 10/4 Notre Dame at the Al McGuire Center.

Tuesday victory was a first for Marquette (11-6, 2-1 BIG EAST) over a nationally ranked top-10 opponent and snapped an eight-game win streak by the Irish (14-2, 3-1) in the process.

It was back to basics for the Golden Eagles, who shot a scorching 57.7 percent from the floor in the second half, combined with some key defensive stops in the closing minutes while controlling a 23-13 advantage on the boards in the final stanza.

Krystal Ellis, who connected on a pair of 3-point baskets down the stretch, finished with 18 points and was 7-of-13 shooting from the field. But it was her drive and dish to a wide-open Jessica Pachko under the basket with 49 seconds remaining that gave MU a 71-63 lead and sealed the victory for the Golden Eagles.

Pachko chipped in 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and tallied eight rebounds, and Tatiyiana McMorris added 11 points for Marquette, which was coming off its first BIG EAST Conference loss of the season at Seton Hall this past Saturday.

MU started out strong, racing out to 17-8 lead off a Pachko layup at the 10:46 mark in the first half, as the Golden Eagles used an early 7-0 run and connected on seven of its first 14 shots from the field.

Notre Dame then scored six straight points, including back-to-back baskets by Becca Bruszewski, to cut MU's lead down to three points at 17-14. Moments later Kellie Watson gave the Irish their first lead of the game at 24-23 when she buried a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4:36 remaining in the half.

The Irish would out-score Marquette 20-6 to close out the first period, as Notre Dame gained most of its momentum during a stretch in which its scored 12 unanswered points. Ashley Barlow connected on her second 3-point attempt of the half to extend Notre Dame's lead to 34-25, but the Golden Eagles quickly answered back with fastbreak baskets by Robinson and Ellis to cut the margin down to 34-30 at the half.

Refusing to go away, Marquette slowly battled back before ultimately regaining the lead at 51-50 off an offensive rebound and putback by Erin Monfre. Monfre had just forced an Irish turnover by taking a charge on the other end of the floor to give the Golden Eagles the go-ahead possession.

The two teams traded buckets until Ellis' second 3-pointer of the evening made it 62-58 in favor of Marquette, forcing Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw to burn a 30-second timeout with 5:53 left to play. Marquette held the Irish to just three field goals and only seven points the rest of the way to complete the upset.

Notre Dame also had four players scoring in double figures paced by Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner who netted 15 points apiece. Bruszewski added 12 points and Lindsay Schrader was three points shy of a double-double with 11 rebounds and seven points.

women_s_basketball/notre_dame_1-13-09.txt · Last modified: 2020/12/07 16:49 (external edit)