Probably Closer Than It Needed To Be: Marquette 64, Butler 60

I can’t stop staring at the fact that Marquette went on a 19-0 run across the final 7:30 of the second quarter at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday and also needed to hit free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure a 64-60 win over Butler.

That 19-0 run goes into the record books as one of the most impressive responses out of a timeout in basketball history. Butler opened up the second quarter with three straight three-pointers, all from Lily Zeinstra, to flip a three point Marquette advantage after the first period to a six point Butler lead at the 7:41 mark of 2Q. Obviously MU head coach Cara Consuegra called timeout down 19-13. Obviously Marquette need to readjust, especially since the Golden Eagles were playing shorthanded with Skylar Forbes, who appeared to not even be on the bench for this game, as well as missing Jada Bediako for the second straight game.

It took a couple of minutes of action, but Halle Vice got Marquette started on the run, and she would go on to score not just the first seven points but 12 of the 19 as the Golden Eagles sent themselves into the locker room up 32-19. No, this was not a high scoring extravaganza even with Marquette shooting 51% from the field overall and 50% from behind the three-point line.

Marquette failed to make that 19-0 run work for them as Butler slashed the margin down to just six in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Once again, the back half of the quarter favored the Golden Eagles as it was 11-2 MU almost to the end of the frame. Only a Saniya Jackson free throw with 32 seconds left stopped Marquette from leading by 15 with 10 minutes left. Given the 19-0 run, you’d like it if Marquette was up more at this point, but that’s not how life or this game in specific works.

And then the fourth quarter started and Butler was back within single digits before a minute went by. And then Butler put up six straight to cut the margin to just four, 51-47, with 4:39 left to go. Marquette traded buckets with the Bulldogs and then got four straight points for an eight point lead with 2:09 left. Time to put the finishing touches on this game? Maybe, or at least you’d think so, but a layup from Jackson was followed by a miss from Charia Smith, and that left Butler a chance with 1:18 to play. Addison Baxter scored, and it was a four point game with just over 60 seconds left.

Marquette burned clock, which is just what you want, and that paid off as Smith scored this time. Butler hurried up, got a triple from Mallory Miller, but that still makes it a three point game, 61-58, with less than 30 seconds left. All you have to do is inbound the ball and make free throws…. and MU got whistled for a five second violation inbounding it.

Butler got the three-point look that they wanted, but McKenna Johnson missed and BU had to foul a couple of times to get Marquette to the free throw line. Lee Volker missed the first but hit the important second attempt for a four point lead and 16 seconds to go. Marquette had a foul to give and did just to disrupt the Bulldogs, and then Kennedy Langham lost the ball out the end line going to to the rack with nine seconds left. Miiiiiiiight have been poked by Volker, but it was definitely off Langham. MU inbounds, safely this time, Jaidynn Mason sinks two freebies, MU by six, and six seconds only left BU enough time to get a layup at the horn to make the final look a little closer than it was.

It was not a fun time, not after that 19-0 run tipped it towards Marquette. The Golden Eagles just could not get things going in the right direction long enough to make the ending drama-free, but they ended up nailing down the lid to secure the W, one way or another.

Halle Vice is your scoring leader here, putting up 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting. She also added five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal. Big game in a big spot as Marquette needed someone to step up with Forbes unavailable. MU also got 16 points from Jaidynn Mason on 6-for-12 shooting, along with three rebounds, four assists, a block, and two steals.

Highlights from a mostly empty Hinkle Fieldhouse, courtesy of GoMarquette.com and ESPN+:

Up Next: Can I interest you in a home game? MU will return to the McGuire Center for the first time since giving up a 19-0 run to start the Georgetown game coming up on Wednesday evening. They’ll be hosting DePaul, with tipoff on ESPN+ set for 6:30pm Central time. The Blue Demons are just 5-17 this year and 2-9 in Big East play, but they are coming off a 76-61 demolition of Creighton on Sunday.

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