UNCASVILLE — Azzi Fudd simply couldn’t miss in the UConn women’s basketball team’s 93-41 rout over Utah at Mohegan Sun on Sunday.
After scoring 31 points in the Huskies’ win over No. 6 Michigan on Friday night, Fudd turned around and dropped 24 points shooting 81.8% from the field and 4-for-4 on 3-pointers less than 48 hours later. It was the redshirt senior’s third straight game with at least four makes from beyond the arc, and she added a career-high eight rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
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It was also a big day for freshman Blanca Quinonez, who scored a season-high 21 points going 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range, also logging five rebounds. Sarah Strong added 15 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals in just 20 minutes, a quiet stat line for the sophomore phenom that would be spectacular for just about any other player.
The Huskies once again dominated the opening quarter, going on a 22-3 run over the last six minutes of the first to break open a 32-8 lead. UConn held the Utah to just two field goals and kept them scoreless for the final three minutes of the quarter, also generating half of its offensive production off of 11 forced turnovers.
Several different players traded the hot hand early, beginning with a run of seven straight points from Strong. Quinonez checked in first off the bench and put six points on the board in less than a minute with an and-1 layup off a steal followed by a fast break 3-pointer. Fudd hit her first 3-pointer of the game shortly after Quinonez, and she scored all nine of her points in the quarter during a two-minute stretch.
Coach Geno Auriemma began to go deep into the bench late in the first quarter and through the second, rotating 11 players before halftime. But the Huskies began to struggle offensively after their strong start, even when their top scorers were on the floor. Though the defense remained stifling, holding Utah scoreless again for the last two-plus minutes of the half, UConn outscored the Utes just 12-11 and shot 1-for-7 on 3-pointers after beginning 3-for-5. The Huskies went more than five minutes without points during the second quarter, though they maintained a comfortable lead thanks to the cushion built up in the first.
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The momentum quickly turned back in UConn’s favor out of halftime as Fudd began to take over. The Huskies’ sharpshooter shot a perfect 4-for-4 in the third quarter for 12 points, powering the team to a 22-2 run over a seven-minute stretch that sent them into the fourth ahead by 49 points. Quinonez added 10 points playing just seven minutes in the third, while Utah hit another brutal scoring drought going four minutes without points to end the third.
Most of UConn’s starters went to the bench for the fourth quarter, but the Huskies’ reserves managed to outscore Utah 20-17 down the stretch. Twelve of the team’s 13 active players saw the court with 10 recording points, and sophomore guard Allie Ziebell put up a season-high 10 points including eight in the fourth.
The Huskies finished with another impressive defensive showing, scoring 39 points off 24 forced turnovers. They held Utah to just 25.9% shooting from the field and 8-for-37 from 3-point range.
