#MUBB Falls 73-57 at No. 4/4 UConn

The Marquette University men's basketball team (5-10, 0-4 BIG EAST) continued BIG EAST Conference play on Sunday afternoon with a 73-57 loss at No. 4/4 UConn (14-1, 4-0 BIG EAST) in Gampel Pavilion.

Freshman guard Nigel James Jr. finished with 15 points and senior forward Ben Gold grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds.

The Huskies opened the second half with a 15-4 run to take control and guards Chase Ross and James Jr. picked up their fourth and third fouls, respectively, as Marquette's offense continued its afternoon struggles. The Golden Eagles finished the contest just 32.3 percent from the floor overall and 20.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.

The Golden Eagles trailed 37-29 at the intermission, shooting just 32.4 percent from the floor. MU used a 9-2 run to close a 12-point deficit to just five points and had the ball twice to pull within one possession in the final minutes. The team also battled foul trouble, with four of the five starters picking up two fouls in the opening 20 minutes, including senior Chase Ross who entered intermission with three fouls.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles open a two-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. CT when the team hosts Xavier at Fiserv Forum.

NOTABLES

Junior guard Sean Jones missed Sunday's game with a foot injury. He missed six games earlier this season with a shoulder injury
Freshman guard Nigel James Jr. celebrated his birthday on Sunday and reached double figures in points for the seventh time in eight games
Freshman center Josh Clark matched a career high with six points