HARTFORD, Conn. — The Marquette Golden Eagles led the Huskies 10-0 two minutes into the game, suggesting a Golden Eagles blowout.

Then the No. 15 ranked Huskies (10-3, 2-0 Big East) settled in and took control of the game at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, beating the No. 18 Golden Eagles (12-1, 1-1 Big East), 95-64, ending Marquette’s perfect season.

It was all Marquette at the start. Senior forward Liza Karlen banked in a three-point shot and the Golden Eagles were in business. A quick five points from Karlen and the Huskies were in a ten point hole. Marquette turned UConn over twice in two minutes, leading to five points off of those turnovers. Head Coach Geno Auriemma pulled star redshirt-junior guard Paige Bueckers from the game early, and it looked like the Huskies were in trouble. 

And then vintage UConn basketball took over. The fast-paced Huskies team settled in halfway through the opening frame, using a 6-0 run, capped off with a put back layup by senior forward Aubrey Griffin, and pulled within four. 

After that, it was all UConn. 

Marquette’s offense was nowhere to be found and UConn, led by Bueckers, took advantage. The Huskies star was a perfect 2-for-2 from deep and converted a buzzer beater three-point shot at the end of the opening quarter to put UConn up four. 

Her shot capped off a 13-0 run over the last two minutes of the first quarter, where the Huskies grabbed eight offensive rebounds leading to nineteen second chance points. 

The Huskies picked up right where they left off in the second quarter, using a 7-0 run to jump out to a twelve point lead. Griffin converted an and-one and the sold-out XL Center was rocking. Marquette failed to score a field goal for over three minutes in the second quarter, and the Huskies converted 4-of-5 during that span to extend the led to 14 late in the first half.

The Golden Eagles had no answer for the suffocating play on both sides of the ball from the Huskies and found themselves down 17 at the half. UConn outscored Marquette 27-15 in the second quarter, while shooting over 50% from the floor. Marquette only shot 4-for-15 in the frame, while turning the ball over three times. 

Bueckers scored 16 points in the first half, while going a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, with nine of them coming in the second quarter. 

The Huskies came out of halftime hot, forcing bad shots from Marquette and converting on the offensive end. UConn used a 10-0 run and four-minute scoring drought from Marquette to push its lead to thirty. During that span, Marquette was 0-for-10 from the field. 

UConn outscored Marquette 27-11 in the third quarter, converting 70% of its shots, to take a 80-47 lead into the last quarter.

The Huskies kept their foot on the gas and cruised to a 95-64 win over the Golden Eagles, snapping Marquette’s undefeated season, while staying perfect in Big East play.

Huskies run the floor with Marquette

It looked like Marquette was going to be all over UConn early in the game. Everything was working and the Golden Eagles were 3-for-3 and up 10-0. And then UConn woke up and Marquette was forced into playing Husky basketball. 

After starting out 6-of-7 early in the first, Marquette only hit two of its next nine shots, including a 2:29 scoring drought to let the Huskies take the lead. 

UConn scored seven straight points in just 45 seconds to pull within one and used a 13-0 run over the last 2:29 of the first quarter to lead by four. The Huskies ended the first half shooting 49%, while the Golden Eagles converted 36% of their shots and only hit 3-of-12 from deep. 

Marquette came into today with its opponents only scoring 59 points a game. UConn reached that mark two minutes into the third quarter. The Huskies ended the day outscoring Marquette 95-54 after being down 10-0 early in the first quarter.

“Marquette has always been about toughness and defense, and I think we got exposed a lot today,” Head Coach Megan Duffy said. “Just the way they finished 52% from the field, we got to figure it out. Better positioning, a little bit more toughness, being a little bit more connected. And we will. We’ve been working on it all season.”

A Paige Bueckers masterclass

Last year when Marquette beat UConn for the first time in program history, the Huskies were without Paige Bueckers. Today she reminded Duffy and her squad just how good she is.

She was quick with the ball and the Golden Eagles had no answer for her on the offensive end as she ended the day with a game-high 25 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field and an astounding 4-for-6 from three-point range. Bueckers also added on five rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes on the floor. 

“I think the thing that’s so deadly about her is just her pace of how she plays,” Duffy said. “I know that’s always been documented, but you know she can come out and hit threes. She can be a playmaker. She just plays with incredible pace about herself like a pro and just between her and Nika (Muhl) having control over the offense with that it’s difficult to stop.”

Rebounding caused Marquette trouble

Marquette came into the game out-rebounding every single one of their opponents. Today, UConn overpowered the Golden Eagles on the glass, 47-32, including 16 offensive rebounds. Those 16 rebounds led to 27 second chance points for the Huskies, their highest of the season. The Golden Eagles were able to get 11 offensive rebounds of their own, but only had six second chance points. 

Out of the 27 second chance points for UConn, 19 of them came in the first half, which helped the Huskies establish their lead. 

“Their young kids play really hard, and so when you’re doing that, you’re gonna come up with scrap rebounds and loose balls,” Duffy said. “And you know it wasn’t just Edwards getting offensive rebound put backs, it was Aubrey (Griffin) coming in. They set their offense again and executed perfectly. So, while it looks a little different, it’s still as difficult as ever. We have to figure out a better way to do it when we when we play again.”

Statistical Leaders

Along with Bueckers, three other players scored in double figures. Senior forward Aliyah Edwards had a double-double with 19 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, and the freshmen pair of KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade had 13 and 12 points, respectively. Senior guard Nika Muhl had five points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as well for the Huskies.

Senior forward Jordan King led the way for Marquette with 16 points and five rebounds, with Karlen adding on 13 points and seven rebounds. The Golden Eagles had four players score in double-digits. 

Up Next

The Golden Eagles will be back on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 3rd, to take on the St. John’s Red Storm (7-7, 1-1 Big East) at 6:00 p.m. CST.