Marching into March
Huskies finish undefeated in Big East play
STORRS — There were no surprises, no close calls.
UConn’s regular-season finale featured none of that — just another double-digit victory for the nation’s top-ranked team.
And on a night when the Huskies weren’t at their best, that’s all that really mattered.
“I think most teams right now in this particular year, whatever the case may be, are tired,” coach Geno Auriemma said after his Huskies outlasted Marquette 63-53 on Monday at Gampel Pavilion. “I think most teams, by now, are tired. Everybody can use this week off.”
The game wasn’t aesthetically pleasing by any means. The Huskies had a season-low 12 assists and shot only 3 of 16 from 3.
“We normally get 20something,” he said. “The ball wasn’t moving great, and guys were a little reluctant to shoot the ball when they were open.”
Three UConn players scored in double figures, led by junior Olivia NelsonOdoda’s 19 points. She also contributed 10 rebounds and six blocks. Paige Bueckers scored 13 points, while fellow freshman Aaliyah Edwards added 16 points and eight boards off the bench.
“What Aaliyah and Olivia did, that’s the next best thing to making a lot of shots,” Auriemma said. “Rebound the ones that don’t go in.”
The Huskies (21-1, 18-0) now will turn their attention to the postseason,
beginning Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. As the league’s top seed, they will play the winner of the No. 8-9 game between St. John’s and Xavier at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“They adjusted well defensively to try to disrupt our offense,” Edwards said of Marquette. “It was good to be in a game like that because it was an eye-opener to show that you can’t take possessions off, and every possession counts.”
The Huskies scored the final seven points of the first quarter for a 22-11 advantage and maintained that doubledigit lead for much of the second. Fueled by a strong inside game, the Huskies rolled into halftime up 37-25.
Marquette (17-5, 14-4) used a 10-2 run to get within seven early in the third, but UConn was just too tough, too relentless, especially Edwards, who had eight points in the second half.
Camryn Taylor led second-place Marquette with 19 points. Lauren Van Kleunen scored 12 and Jordan King had 11 points.
Notes: Sophomore Anna Makurat, who has been out since Jan. 21 with a stress fracture in her lower leg, participated in warmups but did not play. … Azzi Fudd, the consensus top recruit in the Class of 2021, was in attendance. She was wearing a walking boot on her left foot. … Bueckers was named one of five finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.