Alex Karaban had 23 points and Cam Spencer added 17 to lead second-ranked UConn to a 74-67 victory over No. 8 Marquette in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
The Golden Eagles, who trailed by 14 with just under eight minutes left, used an 11-2 run to pull within 72-67 with 56 seconds remaining. UConn then turned it over, but Marquette missed a chance to make it a one-possession game with its own turnover to lose for the second straight time without standout guard Tyler Kolek.
Karaban and Spencer each hit five 3-pointers for UConn (27-3, 17-2 Big East), which clinched its first outright Big East regular-season title in 25 years on Sunday with a 91-61 victory over Seton Hall.
Kam Jones had 18 points and Oso Ighodaro added 16 to lead Marquette, (22-8, 13-6).
Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year and the nation’s leader in assists at 7.6 per game, is sidelined with an oblique injury. He did not play in the Golden Eagles’ 89-75 loss at then-No. 12 Creighton last Saturday after suffering the injury in the previous game.
He also is expected to miss Marquette’s regular-season finale at Xavier on Saturday.
Marquette trailed 42-31 at the half but pulled within 59-52 on Tre Norman’s three-point play with 11:57 left to play. UConn countered with an 11-4 run, however, going in front 70-56 on Spencer’s 3-pointer from the top.
Donovan Clingan had 12 rebounds to pace UConn to a 44-31 edge on the boards, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to a 19-4 advantage in second-chance points. The Huskies also connected on 13 of 26 beyond the arc while Marquette was 6 for 16 from deep.
Without Kolek, the Golden Eagles had just eight assists on their 26 field goals.
The Huskies, who pummeled a full-strength Marquette 81-53 at home in mid-February, gained control with a 14-4 run midway through the first half. Spencer’s 3-pointer capped the run and put UConn up 31-21 with 5:30 left in the half.
–Field Level Media