The UConn Huskies met the Marquette Golden Eagles at Gampel Pavilion for their finale of the Big East regular season. UConn had previously won the regular season title when they beat Creighton, but this game was no less important. With Paige Bueckers most likely seeing her last regular season game at Gampel, it was Senior Day for the Huskies, honoring Bueckers, Aubrey Griffin, Kaitlyn Chen, and Azzi Fudd. Fudd is still eligible to come back next season or declare for the WNBA draft.
After Marquette took an early four point lead, it was all UConn from there on. Having lost Liza Karlen and Mackenzie Hare to the transfer portal, coach Cara Consuegra had to bolster her team’s scoring. Jaidynn Mason, Skylar Forbes and Lee Volker handled the bulk of the scoring for Marquette, but it just wasn’t enough. UConn dominated the game, turning Marquette over 24 times and scoring 27 off of turnovers.
Marquette turned the Huskies over 12 times and scored seven. Bueckers led UConn with 19 points, followed by Sarah Strong with 17, Fudd with 12, and Griffin with 11. Griffin started in place of Jana El Alfy, it being Senior Day. UConn also saw the return of Ice Brady and another appearance of Caroline Ducharme.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/MZOI9pQ4AK
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 2, 2025
Brady scored seven points in 16 minutes, and although Ducharme has yet to score, her limited minutes are valuable to get her more comfortable as the conference and NCAAW tournaments approach. UConn is going to have significantly more depth than in previous years, and they seem to be building steam at the right time.
Tournament Future of UConn
Even though Marquette got steamrolled, they showed a lot of heart, ending conference play 12 – 6 and overall 20 -9. Not bad numbers at all. They are a team that can be disruptive on defense, and look to have a bright future. Of course, facing UConn at this time of the season when they are ramping up is difficult for a lot of teams, and after UConn’s signature win over South Carolina, a statement has been made.
UConn’s losses to USC, Notre Dame, and Tennessee are well in the past, and the team simply are not the same as they were in those games, as their 29-point thump of South Carolina demonstrated. Going into the tournaments, they just cannot afford any slips or lapses, which means everyone has to contribute. With Morgan Cheli out, Allie Ziebell, Qadence Samuels, Ice Brady and KK Arnold are going to have to play at the highest intensity.
Hopefully, as Ducharme gets more comfortable, the baskets will start to fall. El Alfy is getting stronger with every game, and Griffin has fit back into the rotation nicely. It isn’t just Bueckers and everyone else, it’s everyone.
Both UConn and Marquette will begin Big East tournament play on March 8.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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