Paige Bueckers stars in final regular-season game as No. 5 UConn rolls past Marquette 92-57
Paige Bueckers stars in final regular-season game as No. 5 UConn rolls past Marquette 92-57
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers had 19 points, seven assists and three steals in her final regular-season game to lead No. 5 UConn to a 92-57 win over Marquette on Sunday.
Sarah Strong had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots for UConn (28-3, 18-0 in the Big East). Azzi Fudd added 12 points while Aubrey Griffin finished with 11 points and four rebounds as UConn won its 38th straight regular-season Big East game.
Jaidynn Mason had 13 points, Skylar Forbes had 12 points and Lee Volker added 10 points for Marquette (20-9, 12-6).
UConn had already clinched the top seed for the Big East tournament. The Huskies wrapped up a perfect run through the Big East for the 11th time. The Huskies also accomplished the feat in each of their seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
Marquette led by four points early but UConn forced 12 turnovers in the first half, helping the Huskies go 14 of 18 from the floor in the first half. They led 31-15 after the first quarter. The 31 points matched the highest-scoring quarter in Big East play for the Huskies this season.
Bueckers, Fudd, Griffin and Kaitlyn Chen were honored after the game as part of the Senior Day festivities. Fudd has the option of returning next season or declaring for the WNBA Draft.
Takeaways
Marquette: With Liza Karlen’s transfer to Notre Dame and Mackenzie Hare’s transfer to Iowa State, first-year head coach Cara Consuegra had to replace the top five scorers off last year’s team. The Golden Eagles still finished tied in the top four in the Big East.
UConn: The Huskies are getting healthy at the right time with Caroline Ducharme and Ice Brady returning to action in the past week and a half. The Huskies now have 12 healthy players heading into the postseason.
Key moment
Senior Aubrey Griffin had six points in a 16-3 run in the first quarter as the Huskies turned a two-point deficit into a 20-9 lead.
Key stat
Marquette came into the game ranked 20th among NCAA Division I women’s basketball teams in field-goal percentage. UConn was 18 of 25 from the field midway through the second quarter with the Huskies getting the offensive rebound after four of the seven misses.
Up next
Both Marquette and UConn will open play in the Big East tournament on Saturday.
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By JIM FULLER
Associated Press
