HARTFORD, Conn. – The matchup was billed as a heavyweight fight.

The No. 4 Marquette men’s basketball team was looking to take down top-ranked Connecticut in just the third top-5 battle between Big East teams since the league reformed in 2013.

The Huskies have been No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for five weeks and came in with a nation-best, 13-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles had won eight straight games.

But there was only one team that looked like title-fighters on Saturday night. Connecticut dominated Round 1 of the season series, delivering blow after physical blow to MU in an 81-53 victory at the XL Center.

Box score: UConn 81, Marquette 53

The Huskies (24-2, 14-1 Big East) took firm control of the regular-season title race. The Golden Eagles (19-6, 10-4) will get another crack at Connecticut on March 6 at Fiserv Forum.

"They've been playing terrific, and I thought today played even better than they've been playing," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "I thought they won the advantage of being the more violent team. Being the more decisive team."

Kam Jones laments Connecticut's run at end of first half

The Golden Eagles hung with the Huskies for most of the first half, until a 13-0 run staggered MU at the end of the half.

MU struggled shooting the ball, missing its first 6 three-point attempts and finishing 5 for 23 from beyond the arc (21.7%).

"The whole game, really, we were talking about it in the huddle, we were getting decent looks," said Kam Jones, who led MU with 15 points. "Especially from three, even in the start early. Just keep shooting.

"They do a good job of using their hands. They're really aggressive, which can be used against them. We exploited that a little bit, but not nearly enough to win."

Chase Ross hit a three-pointer to get MU within 29-24 at the 4:33 mark. But the Golden Eagles didn’t score again until Jones dropped in a layup with 41 seconds left before halftime.

"Most of those possessions (for the Huskies) came down to 3, 2, 1 on the (shot) clock," Jones said. "Miss, offensive rebound putback. Offensive rebound, foul. Offensive rebound, layup.

"That's really what it was. In the halfcourt, I feel like we guarded them well. Most of their points came on O-boards and transition, for sure. They're a dangerous team in both of those areas."

Donovan Clingan looms large on both ends, including helping shut down Tyler Kolek

Connecticut’s 7-foot-2 behemoth Donovan Clingan finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. His presence disrupted everything MU was trying to do.

Clingan pulled down five offensive boards, helping the Huskies take a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.

"I feel like that was the toughest part for us tonight," Jones said. "They crash a lot. Most teams just crash two or three guys. Sometimes they crash four or even five sometimes.

"Everybody has to turn, check, find their man. Crashing five guys, it's really tough to do that. But they crash hard. We knew that going into the game. If we're able to get some of those rebounds, which we did get some, and when we did we were able to push it and get easy buckets. That was the plan.

"That's what we do every game. If you're going to crash five, we're going to play fast. But they did a good job of getting to those O-boards."

Clingan also deterred MU from converting a lot of looks near the basket.

The Golden Eagles, who had been in an offensive flow for over a month, were completely disrupted. MU had just nine assists and 13 turnovers.

"Activity," Smart said. "They were doing a lot of things that we try to do on the defensive end.

"Active hands. Getting their hands on the basketball. Helping each other. Flying around. Multiple efforts. Defending with a level of violence. Putting bodies on bodies. This is a league where, most of the time, refs are going to let you play. They did a great job taking advantage of that and we did not. They were the more violent team."

MU point guard Tyler Kolek had been on a tear over the last four games, averaging 25.8 points, 8.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds.

But he had just seven points on 2-for-11 shooting, while committing four turnovers. He hadn't scored in single digits in a game since MU's two-game losing streak in early January, when he had seven combined points against Seton Hall and Butler.

"Clingan had a lot to do with it," Smart said. "Tyler got 11 shots, a lot of them very, very good shots.

"He missed a few that we'd definitely take again. Two things (were effective by the Huskies), picking him up full court. I thought (Hassan) Diarra and (Stephon) Castle did a nice job of that. Any time you do that, it just makes somebody work.

"Again, I thought our guys did a nice job setting some early pick-and-rolls, we call them hits, for Tyler and he was able to get into the lane or get some penetration. But they did a nice job from there, overall, defending that situation. We didn't get as much out of it as we normally do."

Marquette's rematch with UConn will be March 6 at Fiserv Forum

The Huskies are in control of the Big East race, but they have a challenging end to the regular season, starting with a road game at No. 17 Creighton on Tuesday.

The Golden Eagles will get another chance against Connecticut on March 6 in MU's final home game of the regular season.

"What we need to do better the next time we play UConn, it's like Santa Claus' list that unfolds," Smart said. "But I think starting with we have to play with more of a level of violence and toughness about us.

"They had that edge today."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Donovan Clingon helps Connecticut dominate Marquette 81-53 in Hartford