MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The University of Denver women’s basketball team fell 71-54 to the Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday night at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis. Sophomore Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas) led the way with 16 points and tied her career high of seven rebounds.

The loss drops the Pioneers to 1-10 on the season, while the Golden Eagles improve to 9-2.

“I am so proud of the way our team fought out there tonight,” said head coach Kerry Cremeans. “They have some big players and we knew we were going to have a real test inside, but we worked really hard to limit them and force them to play a different style. Even though we’ve had some injuries to work through, I see this team growing stronger every day and that is what matters.”

Along with Bradley’s 16 points, sophomore Kailey Edwards (Broomfield, Colo.) chipped in with nine points and grabbed four rebounds, while senior Desiree Hunter (Cypress, Calif.) added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Freshman Jesse Spittel (Yorba Linda, Calif.) chipped in off the glass, finishing with five rebounds to go along with three points and two assists. Juniors Jordan Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa) and Theresa Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) finished with five points each, while Wirth grabbed four boards, one steal and one assist.

Arlesia Morse led the Golden Eagles with 16 points and four steals, while Lauren Tibbs and Katie Young both finished with 12 points each. Tibbs also grabbed 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Denver trailed by as much as 10 points in the opening stanza as Marquette took a 17-7 lead with 14:58 to play. The Pioneers used a 13-6 run to cut into the Golden Eagles’ lead to trail by just three points with 6:44 remaining. Bradley led the charge with seven points during the run.

After both teams exchanged buckets for the next minute, Spittel made it a two-point game with 5:41 remaining as she got her lay-up to go and converted the foul shot to complete the three-point play. The Golden Eagles, however, answered back to extend their lead to six points off a 5-1 run to take a 33-27 advantage into the locker room.

Bradley led the way with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the first half, while Johnston added five points.

Marquette jumped out to an 18-point lead to start the second half as it strung together a 15-5 run that took 4:57 off the clock. Denver answered with a 14-6 run to cut into the Golden Eagles’ lead to trail by 10, 58-48 with 7:06 remaining. However, Marquette took Denver on a 13-6 run to close out the game and seal the 71-54 win.

Edwards and Bradley led the Pioneers with seven points each in the second half, while Hunter added six points and five rebounds. Four of Bradley’s seven assists came in the second half.

Denver continues its stay away from home, traveling to Chicago, Ill., to take on Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. MT.

Denver Team Notes

• Bradley tied her career-high of seven assists. She has recorded three or more assists in 10-of-11 games played this season.
• With her 16 points, Bradley has scored in double figures in six times this season. She has scored at least five points in every game this season.  
• With five points, Wirth has recorded at least two points in the last 17 games dating back to last season. She has scored at least five points in each contest this season.
• With four rebounds, Wirth has grabbed at least one rebound in the last 23 games dating back to last season.

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