The final chapter of No. 4 UConn’s regular season did not read how Huskies’ fans had hoped, when the team fell 68-62 to Marquette on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies (27-4, 17-3) squandered a chance to share its 12th Big East regular season title with St. John’s, which secured its stake with a win over Seton Hall on Friday. The loss also snapped the Huskies’ six-game winning streak over the Golden Eagles (12-19, 7-13).
Silas Demary Jr. nearly pulled UConn back from the 12-point second-half deficit. The junior guard scored 17 points while dishing out eight assists, which helped spark the Huskies’ late push down the stretch.
Demary drove to the lane in the final seconds of the game with a chance to tie it, but the attempt fell off the side of the rim with the rebound being recovered by Marquette. UConn head coach Dan Hurley thought that there should have been a foul called on the play.
The enraged two-time national champion head coach got in the face of one of the referees, causing him to be ejected from the game with less than a second to go. The Big East could not confirm that there was physical contact made, according to an official release from the conference.
“We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition, and inappropriate interactions with our officials will not be tolerated,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman wrote.
Hurley was fined $25,000 with no suspension.
UConn’s offense never found its rhythm. The Huskies posted their worst perimeter shooting performance of the season. They shot 3-for-24 from three-point range, both their lowest number of threes made, and efficiency in a game all year.
Braylon Mullins struggled from deep, finishing 1-for-10 from beyond the arc. He did not make his first until there were five minutes left to play in the game. Alex Karaban played all 40 minutes yet was held without a single field goal.
UConn shot 39% from the field in the first half but still maintained a two-point lead going into the break. The Golden Eagles’ offense was red hot, shooting nearly 55% from the floor.
The Huskies led 45-41 with 15:03 left in the second half after a basket from Eric Reibe. This was followed by a seven-minute-and-50-second field goal drought for UConn. Marquette was able to pull off a 14-4 run during that stretch to take control of the game.
Nigel James Jr. orchestrated the Golden Eagles offense. He led all scorers with 19 points and assisted on seven Marquette baskets. Chase Ross, Royce Parhm and Adrien Stevens all knocked down multiple three-pointers.
Despite the loss, UConn dominated the paint.
The Huskies outscored Marquette in the paint 34-26 and had a +15 advantage on the glass. Saturday was the first time this season that UConn was defeated when outrebounding its opponent.
Tarris Reed Jr. was at the forefront of the interior performance. 16 points and 10 rebounds marked Reed’s third straight double-double, and ninth of the season. He shot 5-for-5 from the free throw line, which was just his second time this season doing so on that many attempts.
UConn shot 17-for-18 from the stripe. It was by far the Huskies’ best free throw performance of the season. Their next best? 85% against New Haven on Nov. 3, the team’s season opener.
The Big East Tournament will tip off on Wednesday with the conclusion of the regular season. The Huskies finished No. 2 in the tournament seeding, which earned them a first-round bye. UConn may get a chance at revenge against Marquette in New York City, as they will play the winner of Xavier and the Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be available on FS1.