R.J. Cole notched his 2,000th career point and scored in double figures for the ninth consecutive game as visiting UConn topped Marquette 78-70 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
The graduate-student guard finished with 20 points and seven assists on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3 percent) to help Connecticut to its first conference win of the season. Tyrese Martin paced the Huskies (10-3, 1-1 Big East) with 25 points, and Andre Jackson added 10. Adama Sanogo posted six in his first game since Nov. 30.
Martin also made history of his own, tallying his 1,000th career point.
With Darryl Morsell sidelined due to health and safety protocols, Justin Lewis led Marquette (8-5, 0-2) with 20 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) shooting. Oliver-Maxence Prosper collected a season-high 13 points, and Kur Kuath recorded eight. Tyler Kolek went for seven to go along with eight assists.
After once trailing by 11, Marquette found itself down by one point with just over four minutes left to play. Martin stifled the comeback quickly, rattling off a 6-0 run by himself to secure the Huskies’ first win on the road. Connecticut outscored the Golden Eagles 11-5 for the last four minutes of action.
UConn took a 43-37 lead into the break behind 15 first-half points from Martin. The 6-foot-6 guard shot 6-of-10 (60.0 percent) before halftime and drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend the Huskies’ lead. Jackson added 10 points and five rebounds.
Lewis led Marquette with nine points and five rebounds through the first 20 minutes of play, and Kuath had eight points, two rebounds and a pair of blocks. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, but the Golden Eagles shot slightly better than Connecticut from range, shooting 4-of-10 (40.0 percent) from deep.
The Golden Eagles got off to an efficient start, going 9-for-12 (75.0 percent) from the field through the first nine minutes of play. Kuath had eight points during that span, and Kolek served as a playmaker, dishing out five assists.
–Field Level Media