No. 25 UConn topples No. 9 Marquette behind lights-out shooting

Solo Ball had 25 points and Alex Karaban added 15 as No. 25 UConn held off a second-half rally by No. 9 Marquette in a 77-69 Big East victory Saturday night in Milwaukee. Samson Johnson added 13 points for UConn (16-6, 8-3 Big East), which shot 59.5 percent from the field, including 12 of 19 from 3-point range. Ball hit 7 of 11 shots, including 7 of 9 beyond the arc. Kam Jones had 22 points and Chase Ross added 19 for Marquette (18-4, 9-2 Big East), which trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half. The Golden Eagles lost for just the second time in 13 home games. Marquette chipped away in the second half, closing within 66-59 on Jones' lay-in with 5:47 remaining. Stevie Mitchell's steal and breakaway layup cut the lead to 69-63 with 2:50 left, but Ball's 3-pointer put UConn up 75-66 with 1:48 remaining. UConn left the door open by twice missing the front end of bonus free throw shots. David Joplin's deep 3-pointer brought Marquette within 75-69 with 38 seconds left. Ball hit two free throws to make it 77-69, but Marquette missed its final six shots, negating its five rebounds. Marquette forced 25 turnovers, including 11 steals, but was just 7 of 22 from 3-point range and 12 of 22 from the free-throw line. Marquette closed the first half with a nine-point run to pull within 42-29. UConn opened the second-half scoring, but the Golden Eagles answered with a six-point run that cut the deficit to single digits. The Huskies answered with an 8-3 run, pushing the lead to 52-38 on Ball's 3-pointer. UConn dominated most of the first half, taking its largest lead at 42-20 on two free throws by Karaban with 2:27 remaining. Ross book-ended a nine-point run with a pair of 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater, to pull Marquette within 42-29 at the break. Ross and Jones had 12 points apiece in the first half on a combined 8-of-13 shooting, while the rest of the Golden Eagles were 0 for 12. The Huskies jumped out to a 19-9 lead as Marquette hit just 3 of its first 14 shots, including 0 for 6 beyond the arc. --Field Level Media