Golden Eagles Face No. 1/1 UConn Wednesday Night

The Marquette women’s basketball team faces their second ranked matchup of the season, taking on No. 1/1 UConn this Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 6:00 p.m. CT. Wednesday’s game will broadcast live on Peacock/NBC Sports with Brendan Glasheen and Meg Culmo on the call.

THE STARTING FIVE

• Marquette’s offense exploded in Sunday’s game against LeMoyne, setting or tying season-high’s in points (89), field goals made/attempts, (34-for-66), three-point field goals made/attempts (14-for-33), free throw percentage (1.000, 7-for-7), assists (31), steals (11). MU also established a new opponent high in turnovers (21), while having game lows in turnovers (five), points allowed (42), and opponent field goals/attempts (15-for-46).
• In what was viewed as a weakness in Cara Consuegra‘s first year, the 3-ball has become a strength for the Golden Eagles in Year 2. MU sits 5th in the country at 39.9%. Half of the team’s players who have attempted 10 or more this season are shooting above a 40% clip.
• With more depth in 2025-26, the Golden Eagles’ strength still lies within their starting five which has not changed through the opening 10 games. The group is accounting for 77.5% of the team’s scoring thus far. Three of its five starters are averaging double figures.
• Averaging 21.3 points per game during her last four games, Skylar Forbes has jumped to fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring at 15.8 points per game. The junior put together one of the best games of her career in MU’s last league contest versus Butler, matching her career high in points with 26, setting a new career high in assists with six and collecting a season-high eight rebounds. She also knocked down a career-best four 3-pointers.
• Marquette’s strength this season comes in its experience and continuity as the program is the only one in Division I women’s college basketball to return all of its players from the 2024-25 season.

BY THE NUMBERS

31- Sunday’s assist total for Marquette, which were the most in a game since dishing out 33 on Dec. 11, 2021 against North Dakota. Lee Volker led the way for the Golden Eagles with a career-high 11 helpers.

9.2- An emphasis during the offseason for Marquette was to increase its efficiency from outside. MU has seen an increase of 9.2% on its shooting 3, jumping to 39.9% and ranking No. 5 in the NCAA.
21.3- Scoring 15 or more in her last four games, Skylar Forbes is averaging 21.3 points per game over that span, shooting 57.1% (32-of-56) from the field and 48.0 (12-of-25) from 3.

FLASHING BACK – GAME 10 VS LE MOYNE

• Marquette had four players in double figures for the third time this season and second in a row.
• Marquette’s 31 assists were its most in a game since dishing out 33 on Dec 11, 2021 against North Dakota.
• Marquette’s 49 points in the first half were the Golden Eagles’ most in a first half this season.
• Lee Volker had a career-high 11 assists. Volker passed her previous high of six in the first 15 minutes.
  • She is the first Golden Eagle with 10 assists in a game since Rose Nkumu had 10 on Nov. 6, 2023
• Volker recorded her second double-double of the season, and third of her career, with 14 points and 11 assists.
  • The last Golden Eagle with at least 14 points and 11 assists in a game was Salena Lott on Jan. 27, 2021.
• Jordan Meulemans had a season-high 15 going 5-of-7 from the 3-point line.
  • The five made 3-pointers were the most by a Golden Eagle this season.
• Halle Vice recorded the ninth double-double of her career, and second of the season, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
  • The 23 points matched the junior’s career high which she set earlier this year at Milwaukee.

MARQUETTE VS. UCONN

Marquette will square off with the Huskies for the 24th time in program history Wednesday, with UConn holding the 1-22 series advantage. MU’s only victory against UConn came on Feb 8, 2023, a 59-52 victory at the Al McGuire Center.

HISTORY VS. NO. 1

Marquette is set to take on the No. 1 team in the nation for the eighth time in program history, with six of those occurrences coming against the Huskies. MU has never won against a top-ranked team, going 0-7 all-time in those games.

3-POINT EFFICIENCY INCREASE

Year 1 under Cara Consuegra saw the Golden Eagles struggle from outside, shooting just 30.7% which ranked 194th in the nation. During the offseason, changing that was a point of emphasis. Through 10 games, Marquette is shooting 39.9%, a 9.2% increase, which ranks 5th in the NCAA.

• Four Golden Eagles are shooting north of 40%. Jaidynn Mason and Olivia Porter are both at 50% (8-for-16), Skylar Forbes is shooting 42.6% (23-for-54), and Jordan Meulemans is hitting threes at a 42.5% clip (17-for-40)
• The increased efficiency from beyond the arc has also resulted in more 3-pointers per game as MU is averaging 8.9 per game, an increase of 3.7 from last season.

MAKE ‘EM COUNT

In each of the Golden Eagles’ first two games, MU attempted at least 18 free throws. At Minnesota, they attempted just three. The charity stripe has been just that–charity for Marquette–as the team is shooting 77.6%, the 26th-highest mark in the NCAA this year.

• Forty-six of the team’s 134 attempts have come from Lee Volker (22-of-24) and Jaidynn Mason (21-of-24).

DIVERSIFYING THE OPTIONS

While Skylar Forbes is the Golden Eagles’ top scorer at 15.8 points per game, two others have shown that they too can carry the scoring load. Two of MU’s other starters–Halle Vice and Lee Volker–are also averaging double figures.

• All three have led Marquette in scoring this season and all three have each posted at least one 20-point game.

SHARING THE ROCK

With an uptick in scoring during the past week, part of that can be attributed to Marquette’s ball movement. MU recorded its fourth, fifth, and sixth games this year with 20 or more assists last week, setting a season-high 31 against Le Moyne. The Golden Eagles sit 12th in the NCAA in assists per game at 20.0.

STEP UP AND KNOCK ‘EM DOWN

Below 80% from the free-throw line in her career entering the season, Lee Volker has moved north of that mark through the first nine games of her final season. With 24 attempts thus far, the graduate student has missed just twice from the stripe.

• Sitting just below the minimum made average of 2.5 per game, Volker’s 91.7% would rank in the Top 20 nationally and lead the BIG EAST.

MY TEAM IS ON THE COURT

When it comes to coaches tinkering with starting lineups, Head Coach Cara Consuegra isn’t one of them. Last season, Consuegra found what worked for Marquette during conference play and has stuck with it ever since. Dating back to Jan. 15, 2025 versus Seton Hall, the Golden Eagles have had the same starting five for 26 consecutive games.

ONE OF ONE

Not just a shot blocker, not just a 3-point shooter, Skylar Forbes is proving early this season that she is both. Forbes is currently shooting 42.6% from deep while also posting 1.8 blocks per game.

• Forbes is the only player in the country currently averaging 1.8 blocks per game and shooting over 40% from 3 (min. 20 attempts).

USING HER LENGTH

While not a prototypical post, 6-foot-3 Skylar Forbes uses her length well on the defensive end. After breaking the Marquette record for blocks in a season last year with 56, the junior hasn’t slowed up. Adding 18 more to total this season, she is up to 106 for her career.

• Forbes moved to sixth on MU’s all-time blocks list following four against Iowa State, passing Liza Karlen.
• Forbes’ 1.80 blocks per game this season ranks No. 2 in the Big East and 43rd in the NCAA.

VICE GRIP

Marquette’s top rebounder a season ago, preseason All-BIG EAST selection Halle Vice has showed no let up on the glass through nine games this year, leading the team eight times. The junior’s 8.0 rebounds per game currently ranks 4th in the BIG EAST.

• Vice had double-digit rebounding numbers in her first two outings of the season.

MADE IT LOOK EASY

Marquette’s fourth 20-point game this season came from Halle Vice vs. Le Moyne. Already recording 20+ points in a game this season (23 at Milwaukee), Vice was an efficient 10-for-15 from the field, 2-for-3 from beyond-the-arc, and 1-for-1 from the charity stripe.

• The 23 points tied a career-high set earlier this season at Milwaukee.

THE X-FACTOR

While Skylar Forbes, Halle Vice and Lee Volker were the All-BIG EAST preseason selections, Marquette coaches have all said that senior point guard Jaidynn Mason is the X-factor. While the season is still young, Mason has already shown why coaches have put that moniker on her. In the season opener she dropped 25 points against Winthrop in a 32-point win. In Game 2 against Wisconsin, she ignited a 10-0 run in the final three minutes with two blocks and a steal on three consecutive defensive possessions to help the Golden Eagles rally back for an overtime win.

• Mason leads the team in assists (4.0) and steals (1.8).

WATCH YOURSELF INSIDE

With length and high IQs on an experienced squad, Marquette has made a habit of getting their hands on opponents’ shots this year. MU sits second in the BIG EAST and ranks No. 40 nationally this season with 4.8 per game.

• Skylar Forbes may pace the team with 1.8 per game but there is balance with two others between 0.6-0.9 per game.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.