UConn Men's Basketball

Rapid Recap: UConn tops No. 20 Marquette, 72-66

By Aman Kidwai

March 5, 2025

218

STORRS – Led by 21 points from Alex Karaban, all five UConn starters scored in double digits as the Huskies took care of No. 20 Marquette, 72-66, despite a spirited effort from Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles, who were leading at the half and still ahead with 10 minutes left in the game.

A David Joplin three made it 5-2 Marquette early on, but Liam McNeeley tied it on the next possession with a three, and UConn stayed ahead until the final minutes of the first half. Hassan Diarra’s playmaking and the shooting of McNeeley and Solo Ball helped them make it happen across the first half.

Samson Johnson also had some nice early looks, scoring four quick points and setting Karaban up for a dunk with a nice pass on the block. He finished with his first career double-double. The Huskies dominated the glass, especially early, pulling down 11 of the first 14 rebounds in the game, on their way to a 44-29 final advantage.

The Huskies took a six-point lead with 7:30 left after another McNeeley three as Dan Hurley got the bench involved as well. Jaylin Stewart came in and got a bucket, as did Aidan Mahaney on a nice steback jumper, while Jayden Ross also saw time in the middle of the half.

With UConn’s slight lead seemingly holding up, Marquette ended the half on a 9-0 run as the Huskies went 1-for-8 from the field to close the half, going scoreless for the last 3:21 to allow the Golden Eagles to take a 37-33 advantage into the break.

The second half saw Marquette hold on to that lead through the “third quarter” ever so slightly, though it grew as large as six. They kept finding good looks down low while UConn labored a bit more on the scoring front, even though their starters were clicking.

The Huskies started making some stops and getting a few second-chance buckets to close in. Jaylin Stewart slammed a Tarris Reed Jr. miss to establish a 10-0 run, and then a Reed breakaway dunk pushed them ahead with 10:04 left. The run continued as they took their largest lead of the night, 61-54, after Johnson finished a breakaway dunk off a nice pass from Diarra.

Despite some light drama late, the Huskies held on for the win thanks to Alex Karaban, who scored seven points in the final four minutes, including a strong drive for a lay-up and a three with 25 seconds left and UConn up one. The team captain finished with 21 points after a 16-point second half and also grabbed seven rebounds.

This was a complete team win for this UConn squad, which is rounding into form and playing its best ball as we near the postseason.

Next up, the Huskies’ seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony at Gampel Pavilion when UConn hosts Seton Hall on Saturday, March 8th at 2:30 p.m. in their season finale, on FOX.

Seton Hall is last in the Big East with only two wins in league play, both in overtime. One of those wins came against UConn, however, in a repulsive late-game collapse in Newark just three weeks before the season finale taking place on Saturday. KenPom currently projects an 18-point UConn victory.