Huskies, Bueckers clip Eagles

Paige Bueckers keeps doing Paige Bueckers things. UConn keeps winning. Rinse, repeat.

It was business as usual for the third-ranked Huskies, who rolled past Marquette 87-58 on Friday at Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.

Bueckers had 30 points, all in three quarters, one game after scoring a season-high 32. The freshman sank 12-of-18 shots, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, notching her fourth straight 20-point game.

“She’s being Paige,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She’s being about as good a player as there is in the country right now.”

The Huskies improved to 11-0 in the Big East and 13-1 overall, and now turn their attention to Monday’s showdown with No. 2 South Carolina in Storrs. Marquette, second in the Big East, dropped to 12-3, 9-2.

Junior Christyn Williams returned from her one-game absence with an ankle injury to score 18 points. Aaliyah Edwards contributed 11 points off the bench, and fellow freshman Nika Muhl chipped in eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and five steals.

Marquette’s top scorer, Selena Lott, was held to four points on 1-of-7 shooting.

“I thought we were pretty locked in defensively for the majority of the game. We started off the game that way,” Auriemma said. “That defensive mindset allowed us to flow into a really good offensive rhythm. The ball was really moving well, we were cutting well. (Olivia Nelson-Ododa) made some fabulous decisions with the ball.

“We just really played a solid, solid game for 40 minutes. There wasn’t a time when I thought we’re not really playing well. That’s one of the best things we’ve

done this year. I’m really proud of them.”

Despite a big rebounding edge in the first quarter (12-5, including 7-0 on the offensive end), Marquette still couldn’t slow down UConn. The Huskies led 21-14 after the first, and then closed the half on a 14-4 run to go up 19.

The Huskies displayed good ball movement and balance on offense, with 17 assists on their 18 first-half baskets.

The Huskies extended their cushion to 71-44 after three quarters and finished shooting 57 percent. They led by as many as 30.

SAN ANTONIO AREA GETS NCAA TOURNEY

The entire women’s NCAA tournament will be played in the San Antonio region from March 21 through April 4, it was announced Friday. The Alamodome will host the Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16. Five sites in three different cities — San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos — will be used in the opening round.

Notes: Class of 2021 early enrollee Saylor Poffenbarger hit a fourthquarter 3 for her first points as a Husky . ... Olivia Nelson-Ododa was named one of 10 candidates for the Lisa Leslie Award, which honors the nation’s top center.