Led by Aguirre last-second shot, Explorers hit 8-win streak with win over Jersey

JERSEYVILLE - The Marquette Explorers were trailing the Jersey Panthers by four points going into the fourth quarter but two points from Taylor Aguirre, off a rebound with only seconds left in game, gave the Explorers the win Wednesday night, 44-42.

The Panthers took the lead in the first quarter but it was an intense back and forth in the final minutes, and 12-points between Lila Snider and Aguirre secured the victory for Marquette.

Hitting an eight win streak, Explorers coach Lee Green said the game was a real grind with a strong defense from Jersey.

"The girls got it done," Green said. "Couldn't be happier right now. The girls put a lot of time and effort into it and practice hard every day. We were excited going into this week because we knew we were going to play two good teams and came out with two wins, couldn't be happier."

With Abby Manns leading the game in scoring with 15 points, Panthers coach Kevin Strebel said the girls played an aggressive offense but just couldn't make it through the final stretch.

"Abby made a couple of plays there at the end of the game, she has the ability to do that," Strebel said. "Hopefully she found herself a little bit. She's just a sophomore but she knows the importance of being able to do that kind of thing when the game is on the line."

Manns led the game in points with 15 for Jersey followed by Lauren Fischer with 12 points for Marquette.

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