WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY No. 7 UCONN vs MARQUETTE
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
What: Big East Tournament Semifinals Where: Mohegan Sun Arena Records: UConn (23-5, 16-1 Big East), Marquette (21-9, 13-7)
TV: FS1
KEEP AN EYE ON
More from Bueckers: After being limited to just 15 minutes in each of her two game’s last week, the sophomore scored a team-high 16 points with five rebounds, four assists, one steal and two turnovers in 18 minutes Saturday. As to when she’ll rejoin the starting lineup and/or be able to play 30 minutes or more, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said she’s getting closer day by day.
“It’s hard to say exactly where she is on that timeline,” Auriemma said. “I really don’t know how close she is. I know she’s not there yet. I know she was probably anxious to play more than she played the first couple games. … It’s probably something different for her coming off the bench, not that that’s going to be how we’re gonna do it going forward. But little by little, it improves every day.”
Defense: UConn has held four straight opponents to 38 points or fewer. In Saturday’s quarterfinals, the Huskies held Georgetown to nine first-half points, tying the least number of points in a Big East Tournament opening half since 2005.
The Huskies outscored the Hoyas in the paint (28-6) and off the bench (38-18), while winning the rebound battle 44-27.
Defense has been UConn’s identity during a season that has seen its offensive weapons repeatedly benched by injury or illness. The Huskies will no doubt rely on their defensive strength throughout the rest of the tournament knowing what’s on the line — a possible spot in the NCAA Tournament’s Bridgeport regional.
Scouting the Golden Eagles: Marquette, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, beat No. 4 DePaul 105-85 Saturday to advance. Five Golden Eagles scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Liza Karlen with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
UConn swept the Golden Eagles in two meetings this season, most recently winning 69-38 on Feb. 23 in Hartford. The win gave the Huskies the outright Big East regular season title as the team was led by Evina Westbrook with 17 points. The Huskies defeated Marquette, 72-58, on Feb. 13 in Milwaukee.
Marquette is led by grad student forward Lauren Van Kleunen with 13.2 points per game while senior forward Chloe Marotta leads with 7.1 rebounds per game.