Goodness Gracious: Marquette 85, DePaul 54

FULL TRANSPARENCY: I’m starting work on this with 7:30 left in the game and Marquette up 72-40.

Why start the recap before the game is over?

Uh, mostly because it’s been over. 23-9 Marquette at the end of the first quarter, powered by the Golden Eagles getting a cut throat — their terminology for three stops in a row — four times in the first 10 minutes. The margin maxed out at 21 in the second quarter, and 30 in the third. Two notable things that happened in that third period: DePaul’s Michelle Ojo was whistled for a foul that was upgraded to a flagrant 1 because the refereeing crew determined that she had intentionally grabbed and pulled on Olivia Porter’s hair, and 2) DePaul’s Meg Newman fouled out of the game with 5:20 left. That’s 5:20 left in the third quarter, 15:20 left in the game.

Marquette is not blowing DePaul off the floor in the fourth quarter, with the lead wandering between the 26 point margin that started the frame and 32 off a Skylar Forbes triple with 7:37 to play. They’re at the fourth quarter media break now. We’re just playing out the string until the clock expires in 4:53.

We can’t say that Marquette’s winning this game because DePaul has turned it over 17 times to this point. That’s because MU has 15 turnovers of their own. That makes everything there effectively a wash. Shooting is definitely in Marquette’s favor, as the Blue Demons are under 39% for the game and a woeful 18.2% from behind the three-point line.

We’re still playing, but Skylar Forbes might be done with a 19/3/2/1/1 night and a +38. Halle Vice has 12/6/2/1/1 and is a +24. Olivia Porter and Lee Volker lead with four assists. Charia Smith is tied with Vice for the team lead in rebounds. There’s still 3:54 to go, and Marquette is up 79-48. MU doesn’t need to be in a hurry to score points here, and they’re still up 20-12 in this quarter. A three from Jordan Meulemans punches the margin to 34 for the first time tonight.

Marquette set the tone early with those four cut throats, and they just kept stepping on DePaul’s neck all the way through to the end of 40 minutes. There’s the horn, 85-54 is your final.

Up Next: Marquette will return to the Al McGuire Center with their 1-0 Big East record for their next game. That one will be against Butler, and tipoff on Sunday is set for Noon Central time. ESPN+ will have the broadcast. The Bulldogs took a 70-51 loss to Seton Hall out in New Jersey in their Big East opener on Thursday night.

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