A break from Big East play didn't distract Connecticut, which won its fifth straight game over the weekend. It hopes to maintain that focus back on the road.
The fifth-ranked Huskies look for their third consecutive road win Tuesday night when they visit Marquette.
Connecticut (16-2, 4-2) finished up its non-conference schedule with a 72-61 home win over Tennessee on Saturday. After leading by one point at the break, the Huskies wouldn't trail again after Roscoe Smith's 3-pointer made it 44-41 with 15:30 left.
Four players scored in double figures with Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb leading the team with 16 points apiece.
"Of the 18 games played, it was far and away the best effort against a quality opponent," coach Jim Calhoun said. "I don't think it's even close."
Walker, the nation's second-leading scorer at 25.0 points per game, was held to his lowest point total of the season after totaling 55 points the previous two games. He also shot below 40 percent for the second straight game, hitting 6 of 17 from the field.
Walker may not feel as much pressure to control UConn's offense if Lamb continues his increased contributions. The freshman has scored in double figures in each of the last three games after averaging 4.6 points over the previous five.
"My team was looking for me. It was a good team effort," Lamb said. "Nobody was playing selfish. We were just taking the shots we had. When Kemba penetrated, he drew two and my man had to help. Luckily, I made the shots."
The Huskies, who've won five straight overall, dropped their first two road games at Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. But they've won their last two, including an 82-81 overtime win at then-No. 12 Texas on Jan. 8.
Road struggles were a huge problem for UConn last season, when it went 2-10 in opponents' arenas.
The Huskies can exceed that win total against Marquette (13-7, 4-3), which has lost three of five, including an 80-75 defeat at then-No. 16 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Golden Eagles made 10 of 20 3-pointers and led by 12 early in the second half, but they shot 30.0 percent after the break and were outscored 44-30.
Darius Johnson-Odom scored 25 points, but Jimmy Butler, Marquette's second-leading scorer, scored only three of his 12 points in the second half.
"I was going up strong enough and expecting a lot more contact than I got," Butler said. "But the matter of fact is I have to be one of the main guys on the team hitting shots, and I didn't do that. I wasn't aggressive enough and I didn't put the ball in the basket enough to help my team."
Marquette will play its next two games at home, including a visit from No. 9 Syracuse on Saturday. The Golden Eagles have won all three of their conference home games and are 11-1 overall at the Bradley Center, where they are averaging 85.1 points compared to 75.0 on the road.
Marquette and Connecticut met once last season with the Golden Eagles winning 70-68 on the road to take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. Butler led all scorers with 21 points in that game, including the go-ahead shot with 2.4 seconds left.
