UConn struggles in lackluster win at Marquette

A lackluster performance forced UConn to battle for a 71-56 win at Marquette on Saturday. The Huskies started slow and never got going en route to their narrowest victory in Big East play this season.

“Today was one of those days where we had to just figure it out and push through,” Azzi Fudd told the broadcast postgame.

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UConn lays an egg

For the third straight game, UConn struggled out of the gates. The Huskies turned the ball over on three of their first six possessions and didn’t score their first points until the 5:39 mark of the opening quarter. Meanwhile, Marquette grabbed three offensive rebounds in four minutes. At one point, the hosts had six shots to UConn’s two.

“We came in and weren't aggressive. They came in super aggressive, on top of their stuff. I mean, their defense, their offense, crashing the boards, they had every hustle play,” Fudd said. “We needed to wake up.”

“Their intensity was higher than ours and that’s never okay,” she added later.

The Huskies never snapped out of it. They won by just 15 — their narrowest Big East victory since beating Creighton by 11 on Jan. 25… 2025. In fact, it was just their third win decided by fewer than 26 points, joining Michigan (+3) and Louisville (+13).

While the Michigan game might’ve featured more drama at the end, UConn dominated that first quarter and only had to fight after a horrendous third quarter. Similarly, the Huskies trailed in the second half to Tennessee, though they eventually blew them out in a 30-point victory.

At Marquette, UConn found itself in a tight game for all 40 minutes. While the final result was never really in doubt — especially after the Huskies ripped off an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter — they never put it away as they’ve done so many times this season.

UConn’s stars each take a half

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