RV/- Marquette 83, Milwaukee 68
A slower first half paved way to an explosive second, as Marquette toppled crosstown foe Milwaukee, 83-68 at the Klotsche Center. Allazia Blockton led four Marquette (6-4) players in double digits with a season-best 29 points, while Natisha Hiedeman connected for 15 points and is now just seven points away from reaching 1,000 career points. The Golden Eagles played tough defense, forcing Milwaukee (8-3) into 31 turnovers and held leading scorer Steph Kostowicz to just 10 points. MU also snapped an eight-game win-streak by the Panthers and extended the all-time series record to 20-3.
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Xavier 75, Furman 62
Xavier opened West Palm Beach Invitational action with a 75-62 win over Furman on the campus of Kaiser University. Anniina Äijänen led the Musketeers with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first half, while Aaliyah Dunham scored all of her team-high 14 points in the second half. Dunham also added six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
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2/2 Notre Dame 91, -/RV DePaul 82
DePaul (7-4) held tough at No. 2/2 Notre Dame as the game entered the final quarter with the Fighting Irish leading by just two. Notre Dame opened the decisive frame on a 14-2 run to pull away from a Blue Demons’ squad which was anchored by a bench which outscored the Irish’s reserves, 32-4. The narrow battle saw 12 ties and four lead changes, with the contest separated by single digits until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. DePaul forced 19 Notre Dame miscues resulting in 15 points for the Blue Demons. DePaul was led by Ashton Millender’s 18 points off 7-of-11 shooting.
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11/12 UCLA 77, Seton Hall 68
Seton Hall (7-3) threw everything it had at No. 11/12 UCLA (8-2), but ultimately fell by a score of 77-68 at a raucous Walsh Gym. The hard-fought loss came against the highest-ranked opponent the Pirates have faced under fifth-year head coach Anthony Bozzella. Nicole Jimenez had a coming-out party for The Hall in the setback, exploding for a career-high of 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench. Coming into the contest, Jimenez had scored 24 points through her first nine games as a Pirate. Donnaizha Fountain also had a big day for The Hall, going for 23 points and eight rebounds. The Pirates narrowed UCLA’s 15-point advantage down to five with 4:33 remaining, but the Bruins made four of their next six attempts from the field to hold on for the win.
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