Nov. 29, 1997
Marquette Downs ASU Women 69-50; Dayton On Tap
TEMPE, Ariz.-- Sophomore forward Abbie Willenborg scored a career-high 27 points, and sophomore forward Lisa Oldenburg added 26 points to lead Marquette to a 69-50 defeat of Arizona State Saturday night at the University Activity Center.
The score was knotted at 34 at the half, but the Golden Eagles (3-1) netted 35 second-half points to ASU's 16 to secure their third victory on the season. The Sun Devils fall to 0-2 on the year.
"We beat ourselves again," said ASU Coach Charli Turner Thorne. "We have a very young team that is trying to grow up quicker, and this team is definitely still finding out how to win. It's a great opportunity for us to come out tomorrow night (against Dayton) and try to bounce back and play harder right away.
"It was a team loss. Tomorrow night we need to give it a solid, team effort."
Marquette took an 11-0 lead, but ASU answered with an 11-0 run of its own to tie the game with 11:56 left in the first half. The Sun Devils took a 34-32 lead at the 0:43 mark on a jumper by junior center Kisha White (Phoenix, Ariz.). Marquette was 9-of-13 from the charity stripe in the first stanza, but committed 17 turnovers to ASU's nine.
The Golden Eagles pulled away to lead by 10 points with 10:26 left in the game, and took their biggest lead (69-50) with a jumper by Phoenix product Sidnee Majette with 43 seconds on the clock. Marquette outrebounded ASU 49-36 and shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59) for the game.
Senior forward Stephanie Freeman (Austin, Texas) paced ASU with 13 points, while freshman guard Leaf Newman (Perris, Calif.) and White added nine points apiece. White, who finished with a team-high tying five rebounds, had four boards in five minutes in the first half.
"Kisha White did a nice job off the bench," said Turner Thorne. "She showed flashes of great rebounding and intensity."
The Sun Devils return to action Sunday night, when they host Dayton at 7 in the UAC. The game will be carried live by FOX Sports Arizona, with the Phoenix Mercury's Michele Timms and Trey Bender on the call.