STORRS — The UConn women’s basketball team put on an offensive masterclass in its 100-57 rout of Villanova at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday to remain undefeated in Big East play. It was the team’s highest-scoring performance against the Wildcats in 63 previous meetings dating back to 1981 and their second 100-point game of the season.
The No. 6 Huskies were once again led by the superstar duo of redshirt senior Paige Bueckers and freshman Sarah Strong, who both finished with 20-plus points for just the third time this season. Strong led UConn with 22 points shooting 80% from the field plus 2-for-3 beyond the arc, and she added five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Bueckers came just short of a triple-double with 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in just 26 minutes on the court, also leading the Huskies with three steals. She went a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range and hit 72.7% from the field.
Kaitlyn Chen also had her best performance in a UConn jersey against Wildcats, scoring a season-high 17 points shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 beyond the arc. It was just her second game of the season with multiple made 3-pointers, and she did a little bit of everything for the Huskies with two assists, a block and a steal in the victory.
Bueckers suffered a minor knee sprain that sidelined her for most of the second half the first time UConn faced Villanova on Jan. 5, and the redshirt senior came out like she was looking for revenge in Wednesday’s rematch. She put up 14 points in the first quarter alone shooting 6-for-7 from the field, and she exceeded the 15 points she scored in the first meeting midway through the second quarter. The Huskies star entered halftime with 19 points shooting 7-for-9 from the field plus a team-high five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
The Huskies got out to a double-digit lead barely three minutes into the game behind a red-hot shooting start, especially from 3-point range. The team went 12-for-18 from the field in the opening quarter and improved to 21-for-30 at the end of the first half, also going 6-for-9 beyond the arc. UConn’s league-leading defense held Villanova to 2-for-6 on 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the Huskies forced six turnovers on five steals while giving up just one.
The Wildcats’ offense found more opportunities in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with UConn’s efficiency. Three Huskies were in double-digits at halftime with Bueckers joined by Strong and Chen, and Strong scored eight of her 13 first-half points in the second quarter hitting 100% of her shots. The starting lineup with guard Azzi Fudd and center Jana El Alfy shot a combined 70.3% in the first half.
UConn led 58-32 at halftime and carried its momentum into third third quarter, opening up an 42-point margin on the Wildcats at the start of the fourth. The Huskies’ starters played the majority of the third quarter before resting for the entire fourth, but UConn’s reserves kept the energy high led by 11 points, three rebounds and two assists from sophomore KK Arnold. Redshirt sophomore Ice Brady also had her best performance since she was replaced by El Alfy in the starting lineup with six points on 100% shooting plus two rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes.
