MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Solo Ball posted career-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the No. 25 UConn men's basketball team (16-6, 8-3 BIG EAST) to a massive 77-69 win at No. 9 Marquette (18-4, 9-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday night at the Fiserv Forum. The win was UConn's ninth-straight over a top-10 foe and saw it improve to 3-0 this season against ranked opponents.

Ball tied his career-high with seven 3-pointers on only nine attempts, also going 4-of-4 from the free throw line and snaring 11 defensive rebounds to post his second career double-double – both coming in the last three games. Alex Karaban stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals while Samson Johnson was the third Husky in double figures with 13 points. For Marquette, Kam Jones scored 22 and Chase Ross added 19.

UConn went up as many as 22 in an explosive first half, taking a 13-point lead to the break. Marquette fought to within as close as six late, but late clutch shooting from Ball and Karaban helped the Huskies shut the door on their fourth-straight win over the Golden Eagles.

How it Happened

UConn came out hot, hitting four early 3-pointers including three-straight from Jaylin Stewart to force a Marquette timeout at 16:24 with the Huskies leading 14-4.  After the stop UConn went cold and MU scored the next five, but a Ball triple and Tarris Reed Jr. bucket inside pushed it back to double-digits at 19-9 before a stoppage with 11:24 to go in the first.

Midway through the first another Ball triple and Aidan Mahaney driving bucket gave the Huskies their largest lead of the day at 24-10. Later in the frame, Ball blocked two shots on the same possession and Karaban connected on the other end to make it 32-15 at 5:45.

Two free throws from the captain pushed the lead to 20 for the first time inside of the U-4 stoppage, with UConn going up as many as 22 late in the opening stanza. Marquette closed the half with a 9-0 run, mostly from the charity stripe, and UConn took a 42-29 lead to the break. The Huskies limited Marquette to a 5-of-20 start from the floor and overall held MU to 32.0 shooting in the first half.

The Golden Eagles rode the home crowd to a hot start to the second half, pulling within single digits for the first time since midway through the first and forcing a UConn timeout at 16:45 with the Huskies up 44-35. A Ball 3-pointer after the stop pushed the lead back to double-figures, and another triple from the sophomore made it 52-38 at 15:05.

The Golden Eagles kept coming and got back within nine, before back-to-back triples from Ball and Karaban stretched the lead back to 15 at 62-47 with 10:08 to go. At 7:20 with Marquette back within nine, Karaban flipped in a jumper from the foul line with the shot clock expiring to go back up double-figures.

Two more buckets from Jones had Marquette within seven before Ball drilled his sixth 3-pointer of the contest to make it 69-59 with 5:18 on the clock. Marquette scored the next two baskets to pull within two possessions at 69-63 before a timeout with 2:50 to play. A Johnson three-point play ahead of yet another Ball 3-pointer had the lead back to nine inside of the final minute, and UConn was able to close from there.

Inside The Numbers

• UConn shot 59.5 percent (25-42) from the floor and 62.3 percent (12-19) from 3-point range – both season bests. Conversely, MU finished at 39.7 percent (25-63) from the floor and 31.8 percent (7-22) from 3-point range
  • In the first half, UConn was 14-of-25 (56.0) from the field while Marquette was 8-of-25 (32.0)
  • UConn hit double-digit 3-pointers for the ninth time this season and the first time on less than 20 attempts
• The Huskies held a 36-26 edge on the glass helping to a 9-7 advantage in second chance points despite MU's 17 offensive rebounds
• Connecticut held a 6-3 edge in blocked shots
  • The Huskies came into the day second in the country with 6.8 per game
  • Karaban had two rejections and Ball, Johnson, Reed Jr. and Jayden Ross each added a block
• UConn never trailed and led for 39:24 of game action

News and Notes

• UConn is now 12-8 all-time against Marquette, including a 7-2 mark since returning to the BIG EAST for the 2020-21 season, and has won four-straight in the series
• The Huskies are the third team (Baylor 2020-22, Villanova 2016-18) since 1995 to win nine-straight games against Top-10 opponents
• Ball is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game over UConn's last four contests
• UConn improved to 5-2 in true road games this season

Up Next

The Huskies have a six-day respite before returning to action with a Friday night showdown at Gampel against St. John's on Feb. 7. At halftime of the contest, UConn legend Ben Gordon will officially join the Huskies of Honor.