(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) MILWAUKEE – It may have been Senior Night on Wednesday at the Al McGuire Center, but it was juniors Skylar Forbes and Halle Vice that did the heavy lifting in Marquette’s 77-65 win over Xavier. The two scored a combined 41 points with Vice leading the Golden Eagles with 22 points, all but two of those coming in the second half.
Four seniors combined for 31 points with Lee Volker (13) and Kennedi Perkins finishing in double figures. Jaidynn Mason add five points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Bridget Utberg had three points, rebounds and two steals.
Starting slow, trailing 9-4, triples from Forbes and Perkins started an 8-0 run that gave Marquette its first lead just under five minutes into the game. Xavier countered right back with nine unanswered and led 18-14 after 10 minutes.
Boosted by five early points in the second from Jordan Meulemans, the Golden Eagles fought back. The final five minutes of the half saw MU go on an 11-3 run. Forbes and Utberg sent the Golden Eagles into the half with a 44-38 lead after the two connected on 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions within the final 90 seconds.
After just two points in the first half, and sitting on the bench with two fouls in the opening nine-and-a-half minutes, Vice began to assert herself in the third. The junior finished with 12 points in the period. The big quarter helped Marquette maintain its six-point advantage with 10 minutes to play.
As the Musketeers pulled within one with 7:44 clock, Marquette turned up its intensity at both ends. The result was 14-4 stretch with six points coming from Vice and a triple on the right side from Volker that put MU up 11 with 2:38 to play.
UP NEXT
Marquette will travel to Providence for its regular-season finale on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT with the game airing on Peacock.
NOTABLES
- Marquette won its 20th straight game over Xavier.
- Halle Vice recorded her seventh 20-point game of the season.
- Vice scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half.
- Kennedi Perkins finished with a season-high 10 points
- Jaidynn Mason matched her season high on the glass with eight rebounds. It was the second time in the last three games she has grabbed eight rebounds.
- With 13 points, Lee Volker moves to 967 for her career.
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