The game wasn't all that spectacular, but conference wins are essential.
Sometimes, when a team isn’t playing its best, it can do just enough to win. And that’s how it seemed to go for No. 4 UConn against Big East foe Marquette on Sunday at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
On a day when the Huskies’ offense wasn’t as sharp as usual and when Silas Demary Jr. was hampered by foul trouble, UConn escaped with a 73-57 victory over the Golden Eagles.
UConn (14-1, 4-0) limited Marquette (5-10, 0-4) to 32.3% shooting, including 20.8% from 3-point range, and outscored them by eight points in each half.
Solo Ball scored 17 points, Demary had 14 and Tarris Reed Jr. added 13 to go with a team-high nine rebounds to lead the Huskies.
For Marquette, Nigel James Jr. scored 15 points and Chase Ross added 11 but the two were a combined 9-of-29 shooting from long distance. Ben Gold had a game-high 11 rebounds.
Despite never trailing and shooting 48.3%, the start wasn’t vintage UConn. The Huskies were just 2 of 9 (22.2%) from 3-point range and 7 of 11 (63.6%) from the free-throw line and committed five turnovers in the opening half.
The Huskies ended the first half up 37-29, but UConn head coach Dan Hurley wasn’t happy.
“The foul trouble hurt. I mean Silas probably was our best player and got himself in foul trouble,” he told NBC Sports at halftime. “We’re just not guarding the ball well. The ball is getting deep paint. We’re sloppy offensively.”
He said his team needed to “play basketball at a sustained high level and not have these peaks and valleys. A frustrating half.”
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The second half had some improvement, too, and it was less frustrating than the first for UConn. The Huskies outrebounded the Golden Eagles 29-15, scored 13 second-chance points compared to four for Marquette, and put in 18 points in the paint.
Hurley credited Marquette and its head coach, Shaka Smart, for giving UConn such a tough time despite the Golden Eagles’ struggles.
“Listen, it's conference play, you know you know each other so well,” Hurley told NBC Sports in his postgame interview. “Marquette’s program, I’ve just got so much respect for Shaka. One of the best cultures in college basketball, and they play as hard as anyone. There are times you probably could have gotten a lot of separation but just credit Marquette and their culture.”
The win was the 10th in a row for the Huskies. Hurley said every season needs long runs to build toward March.
“To win a national championship or to win championships, you have to be a team that could show during the course of the year that you could go on win streaks because the way the NCAA Tournament is, you gotta win six games in a row. So, I like the fact that we’ve been able to go against some great nonconference opponents, win some big games, and then take care of business in our first four in the Big East.”
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