UConn cruises past Marquette 77-45 in Big East matchup

Updated Jan. 1, 2025 4:10 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sarah Strong scored 15 points and KK Arnold added 13 points and six assists as No. 7 UConn cruised past Marquette 77-45 on Wednesday.

Paige Bueckers had 12 points and Jana El Alfay chipped in with 10 for the Huskies (12-2, 3-0 Big East), who handed the Golden Eagles their first home loss of the season in front of a capacity crowd at the Al McGuire Center. The Huskies held Marquette to a season low in points.

Skylar Forbes had 20 points for Marquette (9-4, 1-1).

UConn’s pressure defense forced 21 Marquette turnovers.

Takeaways

UConn: Bueckers struggled to make shots throughout the game, finishing 4-of-12 from the field. The star guard, who came in averaging 20.9 points per game, failed to score in the third quarter. The game marked a Wisconsin homecoming for Arnold, a sophomore from Germantown, and Allie Ziebell, a freshman from Neenah.

Marquette: Forbes had 10 of Marquette’s 16 points in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles made just 3-of-21 shots from 3-point range.

Key moment

Holding a 22-16 lead after a tightly contested first quarter, UConn opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run fueled by five quick points from Kaitlyn Chen and a deep 3-pointer by Bueckers to push the Huskies lead to 30-16. The Golden Eagles never threatened after that.

Key stat

The Golden Eagles are now 1-21 all-time against the Huskies. Marquette was swept by UConn last year in the regular season and also lost to the Huskies in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The Golden Eagles are 1-9 when playing UConn in Milwaukee. The lone victory came on Feb. 8, 2023, in Milwaukee, when the Golden Eagles, who were unranked at the time, beat a then-No. 4 UConn squad 59-52.