Second-ranked UConn beat Marquette 74-67 to maintain their status as a top seed for the upcoming NCAA tournament. Alex Karaban had 23 points while Cam Spencer tallied 17 points to lead the Huskies to the win. Kam Jones had 18 points as well as Oso Ighodaro scored 16 points for Marquette.
Marquette trailed by 14 points with just under eight minutes left in the game, used an 11-2 run to pull within 72-67 with 56 seconds remaining. UConn then turned it over, but Marquette missed a chance to make it a one-possession game with its own turnover to lose for the second straight time without standout guard Tyler Kolek.
Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year and the nation’s leader in assists at 7.6 per game, is out due to an oblique injury. He also is expected to miss Marquette’s regular-season finale at Xavier on Saturday. Without Kolek, the Golden Eagles had just eight assists on their 26 field goals.
Donovan Clingan had 12 rebounds to help UConn out rebound the Golden Eagles 44-31 on the boards. The Huskies hadn’t 16 offensive rebounds that led to a 19-4 advantage in second-chance points.
This the second time UConn beat Marquette 81-53 at home in mid-February. UConn clinched the Big East regular season title in 25 years this past Sunday with a 91-61 victory over Seton Hall.
Credit – AP Photo
