BOX SCORE
MILWAUKEE- Western Michigan (3-11) had Marquette (8-5) on its heels, leading with under a minute to go, but came up short as the Broncos fell to their second Big East opponent in three games, 78-74.
Tiera DeLaHoussaye paced the Broncos with a double-double, recording 16 points and 11 rebounds, adding six assists and a season-high eight steals. Molly Dwyer hit two three's and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line for 14 points. Ebony Cleary totaled 10 points and eight rebounds. Sara Vest also chipped in 10 points.
Tied at halftime, 34-34, Western Michigan battled back from a nine-point deficit in the second half to take the lead with 6:50 left following a Cleary layup and DeLaHoussaye free throw. Unfortunately, Cleary fouled out on the next trip down the floor, which proved to be a defensive big blow.
Checking in with 4:52 to go, Marquette's Kelly Lam took advantage of Cleary's absence, scoring 10 of her 15 points down the stretch.
Western Michigan wouldn't back down, going bucket for bucket with MU, and went up by one, 74-73, on a Sarah Dreher jumper with 59 seconds remaing. Lam found the bottom of the net again 12 seconds later to put Marquette back on top and Krystal Ellis broke free for a fast-break layup after a missed jumper to steal the win. A free throw in the final ticks gave the Golden Eagles a 78-74 victory.
WMU led by as much as eight in the first half, owning a 19-11 advantage with 12:32 remaining. The Broncos shot 52 percent in the first half and were 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
Ellis dumped in 18 of Marquette's 34 first half points, one shy of her average. She finished with a season-high 32 points.
Marquette took the lead in the second half after a steal on the opening possession and extended it to as much as nine at the 13:35 mark. WMU chipped away at the deficit and tied the score 58-58 on an Cleary layup at 7:14. DeLaHoussaye hit the second of two free throws on the Broncos' next trip down the floor to give WMU its first lead in the second half.
A three pointer by Amanda Parker and layup by Maria Iaquaniello pushed the Bronco advantage to 68-64 with 3:49 left.
Parker ended the night with nine points and Iaquaneillo came off the bench to score seven in the second half.
WMU shot 41.4 percent for the game and went 21-for-30 (70 %) from the free throw line. Both teams had 36 rebounds. The Broncos committed 24 fouls while the Golden Eagles had 23.
Concluding its non-conference schedule, Western Michigan opens Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 9, hosting West Division rival Ball State. Tip-off from University Arena is at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Comcast Local and can be heard live on WQXC 100.9 FM.
