UConn (27-0, 16-0 Big East) has won 43 straight games and hasn’t lost since an 80-76 decision at Tennessee more than a year ago. The Huskies have also won 63 consecutive Big East games, counting regular-season and tournament matchups.
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Marquette (16-10, 10-7) managed to end a UConn streak.
UConn had won 21 consecutive games by at least 25 points before Saturday, which represented the longest streak for any Division I program in at least the last 25 seasons. The last team to lose to UConn by fewer than 25 points was No. 7 Michigan, which fell 72-69 to the Huskies on Nov. 21 in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The Huskies built a 36-24 halftime lead thanks to Fudd, who scored 17 points and was 5 of 8 on 3-point attempts in the first two periods.
Strong, who entered Saturday shooting 60% from the field, was 1 of 9 and scored just three points in the first half. But he was 6 of 7 during a 15-point third quarter.
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UConn guard KK Arnold had 10 points and a career-high nine assists in her return home. Arnold was a three-time Associated Press Wisconsin Player of the Year while starring at nearby Germantown High School.
Lee Volker scored 15 points, Skylar Forbes 14 and Jaidynn Mason 11 for Marquette, which has lost three straight for the first time since December 2022.
After Marquette took an early 5-0 lead on a pair of Mason baskets, UConn scored eight straight points and never trailed again. A three-point play by Forbes tied the game at 20 with 5:12 left in the second quarter, but UConn scored 11 straight points to take the lead for good.
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UConn is at Villanova on Wednesday.
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Marquette has a long break before visiting Villanova on February 22.
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