Big East Splash: Marquette upsets UConn

[ChiTownBull]

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/news/AEN3997015.htm

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Steve Novak had career-highs of 41 points and 16 rebounds to power Marquette to a 94-79 upset of second-ranked Connecticut in the first Big East game in the history for the Golden Eagles.

Novak connected on 12-of-20 shots, including 6-of-13 from three-point range, and made all 11 of his free throws, as Marquette won its fifth consecutive contest.

Jerel McNeal added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Marquette (11-3, 1-0 Big East), while Joe Chapman contributed 12 points.

This marked the first time in 20 tries during the regular season that Marquette has beaten a No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team.

UConn guard Marcus Williams saw his first action of the season after being suspended for a semester for stolen laptop computers from a dormitory. Williams had four points and seven assists in 23 minutes.

Rashad Anderson had 25 points to pace the Huskies (11-1, 0-1), while Josh Boone scored 13 and Hilton Armstrong added 12, but UConn couldn't contain Novak, and Marquette won despite losing guard Dominic James to a hamstring injury in the second half.

Anderson's free throw extended UConn to a 16-11 lead with 11:18 left in the first half, but Marquette went ahead for good by scoring the next nine points. Chapman drilled a three-pointer and McNeal capped the push with a layup to make it 20-16 with 7:47 remaining.

An Anderson three-pointer had the Huskies within 31-30, but the Golden Eagles widened that margin to 39-33 at the half, as Novak canned a three-pointer in the final minute.

An 11-2 spurt moved Marquette to a 50-37 cushion. McNeal's jam finished the run and the Golden Eagles widened that margin to 20 points at 67-47 with 10:36 left on a three by Novak. Marquette led by as many as 24 points down the stretch.

Game Notes

The Huskies host LSU at the Hartford Civic Center on Saturday, while Marquette hosts Cincinnati also on Saturday...This marked the 200th game in Marquette head coach Tom Crean's career. Crean is just the third coach in Marquette history to reach the 200 games coached mark. Al McGuire holds the best 200 game mark in program history at 146-54...Connecticut was the highest ranked team to visit the Bradley Center since No. 2 Louisville in February of 2003...Marquette has two wins against top two teams, both against Kentucky. The Golden Eagles knocked off top-ranked Kentucky on March 29, 2003, 83-69, to advance to the Final Four. On March 11, 1955, MU defeated No. 2 Kentucky, 79-71, in the NCAA Tournament...UConn and Marquette had never faced off in the sport of men's basketball..Novak set a record for the most points by a player in his Big East debut...This is Marquette's fourth conference affiliation. In its first game in the previous three conferences, the Golden Eagles went undefeated. In the 1989-90 season, Marquette defeated Loyola (Ill.) in its first Midwestern Collegiate game. Marquette defeated UAB in the 1991-92 season in its debut in the Great Midwest Conference and MU claimed its first Conference USA win in the 1995-96 season by defeating Saint Louis...Boone also had six boards and five blocks.

01/03 23:32:26 ET

[Velcro]

UConn will still be ranked high, but that means one more team will start getting votes or better.

Nova moves to #2, Uconn will fall to 6 or 7.

Man we are in for a whooping    :-[

[bulls96go]

sweet!