The Marquette Golden Eagles welcomed the New Year as well as the UConn Huskies to an afternoon game at Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee to kick off the 2025 portion of the Big East season. Unfortunately, it was not the welcome that Marquette wanted.
Both teams got off to a slow start, with Marquette scoring first. But after three minutes the buckets began to fall. With Marquette up 8-2, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd hit successive 3s for the Huskies, and from there the score went back and forth until Paige Bueckers hit a three to make it 15-12 UConn, and Marquette didn’t catch up for the rest of the game. UConn allowed only eight points in both the second and fourth quarters, ending with a final score of 77-45.
Without the play of Skylar Forbes, who ended with 20 points for Marquette, it is fair to say that the final score may well have been far more grim than it was. The next highest scorer for the Golden Eagles was Lee Volker with six. UConn turned them over 21 times scoring 15 points, while UConn only turned it over only 5 times of which Marquette only scored four. Marquette did out-rebound the Huskies 41-33, but UConn had 22 assists on 28 baskets while Marquette had 11 on 17.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/tBkJ5ndIMm
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 1, 2025
UConn had contributions from several players, with Strong leading the team with 15 points. Bueckers scored 12, playing only 26 minutes, KK Arnold scored 13 and Jana El Alfy added 10. El Alfy played only 15 minutes but had some moments where her inside presence began to show.
The potential there is easy to see, and as a work in progress, progress will come. Arnold was the standout for the Huskies, who showed great hustle and ball handling. Arnold is a piece of this puzzle that will only improve and continue to make significant contributions.
UConn Defense Led The Way Against Marquette
Marquette is not without talent, but the UConn defense stifled any chance they had of making a run. They have got to find more shooting from more players. Forbes can’t do it all, and first-year coach Cara Consuegra is going to have to find it in a roster with several first-year Marquette players and make it a more cohesive squad,
While UConn played a better game than the game against Providence, the scoring and slow starts have got to improve. Bueckers needs to find more scoring opportunities, and as Azzi Fudd gets more comfortable being back on the court, hopefully, they’ll see more production from her. Freshmen Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli can score from three, and as they grow into the team we’ll see more from them.
Up next for Marquette is a home game Saturday where they’ll host Butler. UConn travels next to Philadelphia to face Villanova on Sunday.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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