University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
19-6,8-6Big East
Marquette University
19-6,11-3Big East
UConn MBB Crushes No. 10 Marquette
2/7/2023 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Feb. 7, 2023
UConn-Marquette Postgame Quotes
HARTFORD – From start to finish, the UConn men's basketball team dominated No. 10 Marquette before a raucous sold-out XL Center crowd (15,564) Tuesday night, finishing with an 87-72 victory and a world of confidence as the Huskies face the finial six games of the regular season.
Spurred by the memory of Marquette's 82-76 win over UConn on Jan. 11 in Milwaukee, the No. 21 Huskies exploded out of the gate, putting the Golden Eagles on their heels with a 17-4 outburst in the opening six minutes.
The Huskies (19-6 overall, 8-6 BIG EAST) led by the hot shooting of sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins poured in on throughout the first half, building leads of 24-8, 32-12, and 42-22. When reserve guard Nahiem Alleyne canned a 40-foot shot at the first-half buzzer, the Huskies flew into the locker room with a 46-29 lead.
"Congrats to UConn, heck of a game," said Marquette Coach Shaka Smart, whose team falls to 19-6, 11-3. "I don't know what the number is but not a lot of teams come in here and win tonight with the way that UConn was. They played just like they were playing when they were 14-0 and number 2 in the country."
Those who expected a second-half run by Marquette to make the game close were disappointed.
UConn senior Tristen Newton controlled the floor – finishing with his second triple-double of the season (12 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists) – as the Huskies widened the gap to 25, 69-44, with 10:39 to go. Marquette got as close as 14 as the Huskies coasted to the finish line.
"It feels great to play a complete game," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said. "The rebound domination (48-24) on the glass got us back to our identity. Great balanced scoring, Naheim with the bench production. I'm just thrilled with the way the guys showed up for this, handled the game the way a UConn team should handle a game like this."
The Huskies put five players in double-figures, led by 20 points from Hawkins. Junior Adama Sanogo scored 18, freshman Alex Karaban and Alleyne added 13 apiece, and Newton had 12.
Guard Tyler Kolek led Marquette with 17.
"They have one of the best offenses in the country," Hurley said. "We turned them into one-on-one players. We held them to seven assists, which is what we wanted to do."
UConn, which has won three straight games and four of its last five, gets back on the road for its next game, traveling to Omaha, Neb., to meet Creighton on Saturday (2 p.m., FOX).
