Well over a hour before the Marquette women’s basketball team tipped off against No. 7 Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon, a line of fans waiting to get in snaked around the Al McGuire Center.
There is always a different vibe when the Huskies, perennially a national championship contender, come to town, but especially this season with Connecticut superstar Paige Bueckers making her final stop in Milwaukee. Many of those standing in frigid conditions before the game were wearing No. 5 Bueckers jerseys.
MU fans also have been excited, with a team that is scrappier than expected under first-year head coach Cara Consuegra.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to an 8-2 lead to get a buzz in the crowd of 3,750 spectators, but the Huskies turned up the pressure and rolled to a 77-45 victory.
“Obviously an incredible environment,” Consuegra said. “A great opportunity for women’s basketball and certainly our players to be at the Al in a sold-out crowd.
“I thought the energy was great throughout and we just really appreciate everybody coming out to support us.”
Here are three takeaways:
Geno Auriemma turns up the heat on defense
MU (9-4, 1-1 Big East) committed 21 turnovers, with Connecticut’s guards ramping up the pressure.
“I thought their size, physicality, ball pressure … it’s hard to prepare your team for that,” Consuegra said. “We hadn’t seen anybody like that.
“The inexperience in our team, most of them have not played anybody that defends at that level and so obviously I thought that was the biggest takeaway from the game. Not just the turnovers, but our inability to run offense the way we want to run it because we just really couldn’t get to our spots.”
Huskies coach Geno Auriemma wanted to harass the Golden Eagles’ ball-handlers so they couldn’t feed MU’s Skylar Forbes.
“Try to limit how many times it was easy for her to get it where she wants it,” Auriemma said.
Skylar Forbes has third 20-point performance of season
Aureimma was very impressed with the 6-foot-3 Forbes, who continued a breakout season with 20 points and five rebounds.
“Going into the game it was how we were going to guard when she was in the lane, and our bigger lineup I thought would help us do that,” Auriemma said. “But she’s just as comfortable out on the perimeter.
“If you put somebody (on her) that’s not mobile, she’s going to cause problems out on the perimeter. And her footwork is really good inside.”
Forbes has scored 20 or more points in three games this season. She showed off here versatile game by scoring inside while also shooting 2 for 7 from long range. The other MU players combined to go 1 for 14 from deep.
“It’s great when you see a player like Sky, who we believe will be a pro, go against a UConn roster where they have multiple pros and play as well or better,” Consuegra said. “Quite frankly better.
“So I was really proud of her. Just for being in the moment and being ready for the moment. I thought she played with great composure. I thought she played with great poise.
“They got her a couple times with turnovers, but that’s what she has to get better at. Understanding that when she gets the ball, she’s going to draw multiple defenders. But I thought overall she really showcased her ability to score in multiple ways.”
Fans love Paige Bueckers, but Wisconsin products Allie Ziebell and K.K. Arnold delight crowd
There were loud cheering sections for the two Wisconsin natives on the Huskies’ roster: Germantown’s KK Arnold and Neenah’s Allie Ziebell.
Arnold scored 13 points and tied a career high with seven assists. She helped the Huskies overcome a poor shooting night from Bueckers, who finished 4 of 12 for 12 points.
“The role for KK, whether it’s a starting role or a coming-off-the-bench role, whatever minutes or when those minutes come, has to be exactly what it was today,” Auriemma said. “An aggressive mentality defensively and an aggressive attitude offensively, for her personally and for how many assists she gets when she’s playing like that.
“I thought today KK was the KK we need to see every single game.”
Ziebell got probably the loudest ovation when the 6-foot freshman scored five points in the final minute, including an impressive step-back three-pointer.
“There was an October/early November Allie, then there was a late-November/early December Allie,” Auriemma said. “The conversations I had with her was, ‘Tell me about high school and what were the complaints.’
“She said, ‘People said I wasn’t aggressive enough.’ I said ‘Well, they were right.’ She is the one that has complete control over whether or not she can be someone that can provide instant offense for us. Because she’s such a terrific offensive player.
“I just think she defers too much in practice. I think as she gets more comfortable with nobody is going to tell you not to shoot. Nobody is going to tell you not to try to score. That’s what you’re terrific at.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette’s Skylar Forbes has fan in Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma
