STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Lou Lopez Senechal had 22 points and Caroline Ducharme added 19 points and seven rebounds to lead eighth-ranked UConn to a 61-48 victory over visiting Marquette on Saturday.
A pair of free throws from Aaliyah Edwards gave UConn its first double-digit lead with 8:01 to go in the third quarter. A three-point play from Chloe Marotta got Marquette back within eight points. It was a five-point contest after a jumper by Jordan King and a 3-pointer by Claire Kaifes. A jumper by Liza Carlen rattled in and out to prevent the Golden Eagles from pulling any closer.
After a pair of foul shots by Lopez Senechal, Ducharme saved the ball inbounds and then Dorka Juhasz hit a 3-pointer to restore the 10-point lead.
Edwards had nine points and eight rebounds and Juhasz added nine points and 10 rebounds for UConn (11-2, 4-0 in the Big East).
Carlen had 15 points and six rebounds for Marquette (9-5, 2-3).
UConn played just six players in the first half as leading scorer Azzi Fudd missed another game due to a knee injury and Aubrey Griffin, who has started nine games, was sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.
UConn didn’t make its first substitute until freshman Ayanna Patterson replaced Dorka Juhasz with 7:07 remaining in the first half.
Just 41 seconds into the second half, Juhasz went down underneath the visiting basket as she was fighting for a loose ball. She was flexing her left knee before walking slowly off the court. She returned to the court with 7:19 left in the quarter.
BIG PICTURE
Fudd, who has missed the last six games, took part in drills before the game and could be close to returning. Fudd hasn’t played since a Dec. 4 loss at Notre Dame. She was averaging 20.6 points per game and is still second on the team with 20 3-pointers.
UP NEXT
UConn: Visits Butler on Tuesday night
Marquette: Visits DePaul on Wednesday night
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
