UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Another conference, same result for UConn.
After winning the seven titles at the U.S. Athletics Conference, the Huskies played Marquette 73-39 Monday night in their return to the Big East Tournament Championships.
Paige Bueckers scored 23 points and was named the tournament’s leading player as UConn (24-1) won its 19th Big East tournament title. She hit 10 of 15 shots, grabbed six rebounds and had four assistants.
Christyn Williams added 16 points as UConn won its 160th consecutive conference game.
Connecticut scored Marquette with 22% and 28 points with 21 Golden Eagle turnovers.
“We have a sense of urgency and it’s starting on the defensive side,” Williams said. “I think that’s what won us the game tonight, our defense was.”
The Huskies hurried to the center court and jumped to the last horn and lifted their eighth league trophy when the staff fired confetti cannons into the mostly empty arena. The team, which includes seven freshmen who have never experienced a title, then sank to the floor and made confetti angels.
“I’ve never been more proud of any team to be honest with you, with all these young kids and how much they’ve been growing up for four or five months,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “It was really refreshing to watch.”
Camryn Taylor has 11 points and 13 rebounds for Marquette (19-6), who lost in the conference final for the fourth consecutive season after winning the title in 2017. to two points on five shots and was chased by Williams the entire game.
UConn never lagged behind during the tournament.
Evina Westbrook hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to open the scoring, part of a 9-0 run. Another three-point victory over Tennessee ended in a 15-2 run, and the Huskies took a 29-10 lead after 10 minutes.
“If you’re that big after UConn in the first quarter, it’s uphill, really uphill, the rest of the way,” Marquette coach Megan Duffy said.
Marquette slowed down in the second quarter and outscored UConn 13-12, but the Huskies went 41-23 at halftime.
The Golden Eagles reduced the lead to 16 early in the third quarter, but Nika Muhl (11 points) followed a three-point lead with a steal and a basket to push the lead back to 21.
The Huskies led 56-30 after three quarters.
They will enter the NCAA Tournament on a 14-game winning streak after their lone loss to Arkansas in January.
LARGE PICTURE
Marquette: The Golden Eagles have won seven of their previous eight games. The other loss occurred on March 1 with 10 points at Connecticut.
UConn: Despite being absent from the conference for seven seasons, the Huskies still have more tournament titles than all the other members of the conference (14). The Huskies’ last Big East title came in 2012 against Notre Dame. UConn lost in the 2013 Championship match against the Fighting Irish before leaving for the AAC.
STATE OF THE GAME
After the Huskies scored just two quick points a week ago in their 63-53 victory over Marquette, the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 19-4 at halftime on Monday.
HE SAID IT
Auriemma on the unprecedented success of the program:
“I do not care if we prepare for UMass Lowell, who we played in our very first game, or we prepare for the best team in the country on national television. It does not matter to us. The preparation is the same. “Exploration report is the same. We do everything the same. So there’s consistency in what we do. And I think it’s consistently bearing fruit if you’re committed to it. And we have really difficult children.”
FOLLOWING
Both teams are awaiting NCAA Tournament offers, where UConn is expected to be the overall No. 1 series.