- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,354
- Reaction score
- 59
STORRS — The last time the UConn women’s basketball team missed a Sweet 16, coach Geno Auriemma was 39 years old and in his eighth season as a head coach. At that time, the Huskies had appeared in just five NCAA Tournaments and reached a single Final Four.
On Monday night, Auriemma’s 72nd birthday, the No. 1 Huskies dismantled 9-seed Syracuse 98-45 at Gampel Pavilion to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 32nd consecutive season. The victory extended their winning streak to 52 straight games amid the program’s first undefeated season since 2018.
The reigning national champions will face 4-seed North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday looking to reach the Elite Eight for the 18th time in the last 19 tournaments.
First-team All-American Azzi Fudd put on a spectacular show in the final home game of her college career, dropping 26 points in the first half alone en route to a career-high 34 in the win. The redshirt senior tied another career high with eight made 3-pointers hitting 8-for-11, and she was 13-for-18 from the field. She also led UConn in steals with four and assists with five, and she added three rebounds to her final line.
Though it was overshadowed by Fudd’s dominant night, sophomore phenom Sarah Strong came just shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds plus three assists, a block and a steal. The Naismith Trophy semifinalist also put on a defensive masterclass against Syracuse star Uche Izoje, helping hold the freshman forward to just four points while on the court.
Monday’s game was practically over before it reached the first media timeout. After UConn had its worst performance from 3-point range since November in the first round of the tournament Saturday, the team shot the lights out against the Orange from the moment the ball tipped off. Strong and Fudd combined for 21 points in the first quarter, and the Huskies forced as many turnovers (8) as Syracuse had points.
The onslaught escalated in the second as UConn’s smothering defense held the Orange without points for the first seven minutes of the quarter. Including a scoreless stretch at the end of the first quarter, Syracuse’s drought lasted more than 10 minutes, and the Huskies continued raining shots non-stop for a 30-0 run.
Fudd drained four 3-pointers in the second quarter alone, only allowing herself to crack a smile after hitting her fifth of the game when a jubilant KK Arnold high-fived her with a yell of celebration. Syracuse hit its first field goal of the quarter with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, and Fudd immediately responded with her sixth three to make it a 50-point UConn lead.
At halftime, the Huskies had 13 steals and 30 of their 65 points off turnovers. Syracuse had scored just 14.
UConn’s offense slowed a bit in the second half, but by then it was too late for it to matter. Fudd remained unstoppable, dropping eight points on 100% shooting in the third quarter, and though Syracuse had its highest-scoring quarter of the game, it didn’t make a dent in the Huskies’ lead.
Though the Orange kept pace with UConn in the fourth quarter, UConn finished holding Syracuse to just 32.8% from the field including a dismal 1-for-18 from 3-point range. The Huskies scored 35 points off of 20 Syracuse turnovers, and they dominated the boards 46-28. They were especially impressive on the offensive glass, out-rebounding the Orange 18-14 and scoring 17 points on second chances. Syracuse entered the game ranked seventh in the country in offensive rebounds averaging more than 16 per game.
Continue reading...
On Monday night, Auriemma’s 72nd birthday, the No. 1 Huskies dismantled 9-seed Syracuse 98-45 at Gampel Pavilion to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 32nd consecutive season. The victory extended their winning streak to 52 straight games amid the program’s first undefeated season since 2018.
The reigning national champions will face 4-seed North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday looking to reach the Elite Eight for the 18th time in the last 19 tournaments.
First-team All-American Azzi Fudd put on a spectacular show in the final home game of her college career, dropping 26 points in the first half alone en route to a career-high 34 in the win. The redshirt senior tied another career high with eight made 3-pointers hitting 8-for-11, and she was 13-for-18 from the field. She also led UConn in steals with four and assists with five, and she added three rebounds to her final line.
Though it was overshadowed by Fudd’s dominant night, sophomore phenom Sarah Strong came just shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds plus three assists, a block and a steal. The Naismith Trophy semifinalist also put on a defensive masterclass against Syracuse star Uche Izoje, helping hold the freshman forward to just four points while on the court.
Monday’s game was practically over before it reached the first media timeout. After UConn had its worst performance from 3-point range since November in the first round of the tournament Saturday, the team shot the lights out against the Orange from the moment the ball tipped off. Strong and Fudd combined for 21 points in the first quarter, and the Huskies forced as many turnovers (8) as Syracuse had points.
The onslaught escalated in the second as UConn’s smothering defense held the Orange without points for the first seven minutes of the quarter. Including a scoreless stretch at the end of the first quarter, Syracuse’s drought lasted more than 10 minutes, and the Huskies continued raining shots non-stop for a 30-0 run.
Fudd drained four 3-pointers in the second quarter alone, only allowing herself to crack a smile after hitting her fifth of the game when a jubilant KK Arnold high-fived her with a yell of celebration. Syracuse hit its first field goal of the quarter with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, and Fudd immediately responded with her sixth three to make it a 50-point UConn lead.
At halftime, the Huskies had 13 steals and 30 of their 65 points off turnovers. Syracuse had scored just 14.
UConn’s offense slowed a bit in the second half, but by then it was too late for it to matter. Fudd remained unstoppable, dropping eight points on 100% shooting in the third quarter, and though Syracuse had its highest-scoring quarter of the game, it didn’t make a dent in the Huskies’ lead.
Though the Orange kept pace with UConn in the fourth quarter, UConn finished holding Syracuse to just 32.8% from the field including a dismal 1-for-18 from 3-point range. The Huskies scored 35 points off of 20 Syracuse turnovers, and they dominated the boards 46-28. They were especially impressive on the offensive glass, out-rebounding the Orange 18-14 and scoring 17 points on second chances. Syracuse entered the game ranked seventh in the country in offensive rebounds averaging more than 16 per game.
Continue reading...
