State Basketball Roundup: Bucks look to end long losing streak in Phoenix

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks will try to end a 24-game losing streak at Phoenix tonight.

The Bucks have had nine head coaches during that stretch – and some have gotten downright testy when the subject is brought up. Terry Stotts once snapped that the streak means absolutely nothing, because teams have different players each year. Current coach Jim Boylan takes a much lighter approach. He jokes that Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House the last time the Bucks won in Arizona. Actually, it was Ronald Reagan who was president when Milwaukee earned its last victory at Phoenix in 1987 – and Boylan knew that. Don Nelson was the coach, and current Bucks assistant Sidney Moncrief was Nellie’s top-scoring guard. The Suns’ current arena, the U.S. Airways Center, opened in 1992 – and the Bucks have never won in that building. Tonight could be Milwaukee’s best chance in years to pull off a victory. Phoenix has struggled this season after Steve Nash went to the Lakers – and the Bucks are 9-9 on the road. The Suns have lost 12-of-14, including a nine-point decision at Milwaukee last week. A Bucks’ win tonight would give them their first victory in a Western Conference arena this season. They’re 0-5 on those floors.

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The Marquette University men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 in the Big East with a 69-62 home win over injury-depleted Seton Hall last night. The Pirates only dressed eight players, and their two leading scorers fouled out in the final four minutes. Still, Seton Hall gave the 25th-ranked Golden Eagles all they could handle. The Pirates never led, but they had an 8-0 run to get within one with 9:09 to play. Marquette scrambled to a five-point advantage, and then pulled away with a 7-0 run. Seton Hall only shot 23-and-a-half percent in the first half, as Marquette went to the locker room with a 26-16 lead. The Pirates were much better after the intermission, and shot just under 40-percent for the game to Marquette’s 43-and-a-half percent. Marquette had a slight rebounding edge at 31-29, and the Eagles committed 10 turnovers to the Pirates’ 13. Aaron Cosby scored 15 for Seton Hall, which dropped its season-high fourth straight game and fell to 1-4 in the Big East and 12-and-6 overall. Davante Gardner had 17 points and five rebounds off the bench for Marquette, which won its 19th straight home game. The Eagles are now 13-3 overall, and will play at Cincinnati on Saturday.

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The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team has a five-game losing streak – and the Badgers will face a tough challenge tonight at eighth-ranked Penn State. The Lady Lions are the highest-scoring team in the Big Ten with almost 75 points a game. And they’re fourth in defense, giving up 57-and-a-half points a night. Penn State guard Dara Taylor has 35 steals, eight more than all of last season. The Lions are unbeaten in three games in the Big Ten, and their overall mark is 13-2. The Badgers are 0-4 in the conference, their worst start in a decade. A loss to Penn State would give Wisconsin its worst conference start since 1990. Still, the Badgers need only one more victory to match their total from last season. Wisconsin is 8-9 overall. Badgers’ sophomore Jacki Gulczynski is the most improved scorer in the conference. Her average of 11 points a game is just over eight-and-a-half more than last season.

Tags: wisconsin sports, proam, basketball, bucks, marquette