UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Different conference, same result for UConn.
After winning seven consecutive titles at the American Athletic Conference, the best-ranked Huskies beat Marquette 73-39 on Monday night in the return to the Big East championship game.
Paige Bueckers scored 23 points and was named the most outstanding player of the tournament, as UConn (24-1) finished her 19th Big East tournament title. He hit 10 of 15 shots, took six rebounds and received four assists.
Christyn Williams added 16 points while UConn won the 160th consecutive game at the conference.
Connecticut owned Marquette at 22% shooting and scored 28 points out of 21 Golden Eagle turnovers.
“We have a sense of urgency and it starts defensively,” Williams said. “I think that’s what won the game for us tonight was our defense.”
The Huskies rushed to center field and jumped for the last horn, then picked up their eighth consecutive league trophy, while staff fired confetti cannons into the mostly empty arena. The team, which includes seven freshmen who have never experienced a title, then landed on the floor and made confetti angels.
“I’ve never been more proud of any team to be honest with you, with all these little kids and how much they grew up in four or five months,” said coach Geno Auriemma. “It was really refreshing to watch.”
Camryn Taylor had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Marquette (19-6), who lost in the conference finals for the fourth consecutive season after winning the title in 2017. Selena Lott, who entered the game with an average of over 15 points, held to two points on five shots and was watched by Williams throughout the game.
UConn never watched during the tournament.
Evina Westbrook hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to open the scoring, part of a 9-0 run. Another 3-pointer from the Tennessee transfer completed a 15-2 run, and the Huskies led 29-10 after 10 minutes.
“When you get so far to UConn in the first quarter, it’s uphill, really uphill, the rest of the way,” Marquette coach Megan Duffy said.
Marquette slowed the pace in the second quarter and outscored UConn 13-12, but the Huskies went 41-23.
The Golden Eagles reduced the lead to 16 at the start of the third quarter, but Nika Muhl (11 points) followed with a 3-pointer 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 only loss to Arkansas in January.
OVERVIEW
Marquette: The Golden Eagles have won seven of the previous eight games. This other loss came with 10 points in Connecticut on March 1.
UConn: Despite being absent from the conference for seven seasons, the Huskies still have more tournament titles than all the other members of this year’s conference combined (14). The Big Huskies’ last title came against Notre Dame in 2012. UConn lost to Fighting Irish in the 2013 championship game before leaving for AAC.
THE STATE OF THE GAME
After scoring just two quick points in the 63-53 victory over Marquette a week ago, the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 19-4 on Monday.
LA SPUS
Auriemma about the unprecedented success of the program:
“I don’t care if we prepare for UMass Lowell, which we played in our very first game, or if we prepare for the best team in the country on national television. It doesn’t matter to us. The preparation is the same. The research report is the same. We do everything the same. So there is a consistency in what we do. And I think that consistency pays off when you’re employed. And we have really tough kids. “
IT FOLLOWS
Both teams are awaiting bids for NCAA tournaments, where UConn is expected to be No. 1 overall.