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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The UConn Huskies followed up their disheartening loss at Marquette to end the season with a convincing win to start their Big East Tournament run.
Many consider New York City's Madison Square Garden a second home for the Huskies, and they put on a much better performance than they had against the Golden Eagles, defeating the Xavier Musketeers, 93-68, behind strong performances from Taris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball.
Reed finished with a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Ball led the team in scoring with 19 points. Overall, UConn shot 57 percent, outrebounded Marquette 40-28, and never trailed in a game that also featured much less drama on the sidelines from head coach Dan Hurley.
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Hurley's previous game saw the UConn coach erupt at a nearby referee during the game's final seconds, resulting in two quick technical fouls and an ejection from the game. It then brought further repercussions when the Big East issued Hurley a $25,000 fine.
For Hurley, that's pocket change, but he mentioned a "nice moment" that occurred after that Marquette game. Hurley said at the Xavier postgame press conference that UConn players were volunteering to assist with paying the fine.
Read more: UConn’s Dan Hurley Gets Significant Fine After Ejection in Marquette Loss
"If I can add to that, just the kinds of young men that these guys are, they actually offered to pay parts of the fine," he said, after Solo Ball spoke about how much the coaching staff helps them and wants them to win.
"How nice was that? Obviously, it would be illegal, so I couldn't accept it," Hurley said, drawing laughs from the reporters.
"There were guys raising their hand, 'I'll give a thousand,' 'I'll give 500,' I mean, '2500,' It was..We're done," Hurley said, ending the press conference with more laughs.
Jokes aside, the bigger picture is the team unity and willingness to step up in the moment. According to Hurley and his players at the press conference, they had a brutal film session after the Marquette loss, but the team responded and looked much better in their follow-up game.
Next up, UConn takes on the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East Tournament semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
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