UConn women’s basketball rang in the new year with a 77-45 road win over the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday. The Huskies’ defense paved the way, forcing 21 turnovers while holding the hosts to a 3-21 day from behind the arc.
Back in her home state of Wisconsin, KK Arnold put together her best game of the campaign with a season-high 13 points and seven assists. Sarah Strong had a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds to go with four assists, two steals and zero fouls or giveaways.
Paige Bueckers joined a balanced scoring effort with 12 points, Jana El Alfy had 10 points in her second career start while Azzi Fudd added eight points.
As a team, UConn set a new season-low with five turnovers, assisted on 22 of 28 baskets and went a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line.
The Huskies started slow on both ends of the floor and found themselves in an early 8-2 hole. They struggled to stop Marquette’s Skylar Fobes, who scored all eight points, but they also couldn’t get anything to fall down the other end.
Once UConn’s offense got going, it quickly closed the gap and took the lead. A 3-pointer from Bueckers gave the Huskies a 15-12 edge and put them ahead for good. They started the second quarter on an 8-0 run, went on to score 20 of 26 points and carried a commanding 43-24 advantage into the locker room.
Out of the break, UConn didn’t extend the gap much in the third quarter but dominated the final period en route to a 32-point victory.
The Huskies improve to 12-2 on the season and 2-0 in Big East play with the win. Next, the Huskies will remain on the road with a trip to Villanova on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on SNY.
