HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn appears to have its mojo back.
Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and Tristen Newton recorded his second triple-double of the season as No. 21 Connecticut ran away from No. 10 Marquette 87-72 on Tuesday night.
Newton had 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the Huskies (19-6, 8-6 Big East), who won their third straight game after losing six of eight. They started the season 14-0, rising to No. 2 in the AP Top 25.
“Teams go through tough stretches during the course of the season,” coach Dan Hurley said. “The bottom line is we’re 19-6. You know, we beat some of the best teams in the country.”
Adama Sanogo added 18 points, while Alex Karaban and Nahiem Alleyne each chipped in with 13 for Connecticut, which never trailed.
Tyler Kolek had 17 points to lead Marquette (19-6, 11-3), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Ben Gold and Stevie Mitchell each scored 12.
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The Huskies outrebounded Marquette 48-24 and used 21 offensive boards to help them get 27 second-chance points. The Huskies also had 20 assists on 31 baskets, while holding Marquette to just seven assists.
UConn opened the game on a 22-6 run, highlighted by a fast-break lob from Newton to Andre Jackson for a dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. The Huskies made their first four 3-point shots, three by Hawkins, who had 14 points in the first half.
A hook shot by Sanogo gave UConn its first 20-point lead at 32-12 .
A late first-half run by Marquette cut the margin to 43-29, but Alleyne hit a 3-pointer from almost half court to send UConn into the break with a 17-point cushion.
Another 3-pointer from Alleyne gave the Huskies a 59-38 lead in the second half.
UConn led by 25 before Marquette went on an 8-0 run to pull within 17. But the Golden Eagles never threatened to get back in the game.
“We won two or three games in January,” Hawkins said. “It was definitely a tough stretch, definitely going to shake your confidence. But you just have to stay the course, trust the process and that’s what we did and that’s what we’re going to continue to do during this last stretch.”
Virginia’s Jayden Gardner passes the ball during the first half of Tuesday’s game against North Carolina State in Charlottesville, Va.
NO. 8 VIRGINIA 63, NO. 22 NC STATE 50: Jayden Gardner scored 18 points and Reece Beekman added 15 as host Virginia cooled off red-hot North Carolina State.
The Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3 ACC) handed the Wolfpack (19-6, 9-5) their second loss in 10 games and moved into a share of first place in the conference with Clemson and Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack arrived leading the ACC with an average of 79.6 points and were 19-2 when scoring at least 70, but became the 38th consecutive league opponent held below 70 points at John Paul Jones Arena.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 82, NO. 17 TCU 61: Markquis Nowell scored 18 points and Kansas State finished strong, snapping a two-game skid by beating visiting TCU. The Wildcats outscored TCU 17-2 to end the game.
Kansas State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12), which lost to TCU earlier this season, moved within a game of first-place Texas in a crowded conference race. The Wildcats are tied with Kansas, a half-game behind Iowa State.
Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills each had 14 points for Kansas State, Tykei Greene added 13 and David N’Guessan had 10.
TCU (17-7, 6-5) was led by Damion Baugh with 14 points. Micah Peavy and Jakobe Coles each had 11 and Emanuel Miller had 10.
Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis dunks during the first half of Tuesday’s game against Rutgers in Bloomington, Ind.
NO. 18 INDIANA 66, NO. 24 RUTGERS 60: Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 20 points and had 18 rebounds while reaching yet another major milestone in leading Indiana past Rutgers in Bloomington, Ind.
The fourth-year forward became the sixth player in school history with 2,000 career points and the first among them who also had 1,000 rebounds.
Jackson-Davis now has 2,004 points, 1,035 rebounds and a school-record 242 blocks. He’s hit all three milestones during a stretch in which Indiana has won seven of eight. He also had six assists against Rutgers.
Miller Kopp added 18 points for the Hoosiers (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten), who moved into a tie for second place in the conference.
Clifford Omoruyi had 15 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (16-8, 8-5), who had won six straight over the Hoosiers. Cam Spencer finished with 14.
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