UNCASVILLE — After leading the No. 1 UConn women’s basketball team to a 72-69 win over No. 6 Michigan in the Basketball Hall of Fame women’s Showcase on Friday night with 31 points on seven made 3-pointers, Azzi Fudd was called to center court to receive the game MVP award from Huskies legend Ray Allen.
But instead of posing for her solo photo with Allen, Fudd immediately turned and waved the rest of UConn’s roster over to join her in front of the cameras. Fudd, ever the humble superstar, is always quick to credit teammates for her accomplishments, but it would be incredibly generous to call the Huskies’ top-10 win a team effort.
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Coach Geno Auriemma was less diplomatic, ascribing the the thrilling victory almost entirely to Fudd and sophomore phenom Sarah Strong. The duo combined for 47 of the Huskies’ 72 points and played almost the entire game with only Fudd coming off the court for less than a minute at the start of the second quarter.
“We rely on (Sarah) and Azzi an awful lot in games like this,” Auriemma said. “It was Michigan’s two guys against our two guys, and our two guys came out a little bit ahead.”
The impact of UConn’s stars went beyond their scoring. Strong brought down a career-high 20 boards, quadrupling the next highest rebounder on the team — Fudd, with five. Fudd and Strong also combined for six of the Huskies’ seven blocks and five of eight steals on the defensive end. UConn’s other post players combined for four rebounds, a single block and seven fouls.
Auriemma knows it’s unsustainable to play Strong and Fudd from start to finish even in big matchups, and he saw fatigue start to show for Strong amid the Huskies’ ugly third quarter where they were outscored 18-4. The sophomore forward had just six points and eight boards in the second half after ending the first with a double-double, and all six of her stocks (steals plus blocks) came before halftime.
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“I’m not thrilled that she had to play 40 minutes tonight,” Auriemma said. “For her to get 20 rebounds, that doesn’t say a lot about our other guys, does it? So our other bigs, the ones that got in the game, they have a lot to make up for. We can’t, nor should we expect her to go out and get 20 every night. Serah Williams, Blanca (Quinonez), those guys have got to get involved.”
Friday’s game was the first time this season that the Huskies haven’t gotten significant contributions from anyone off their bench. Every starter except for Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams played at least 30 minutes, and none of their reserves saw the court for more than 10. UConn was averaging nearly 30 bench points per game entering the Michigan matchup, but it got just five against the Wolverines on a combined 2-for-10 shooting from the field.
Even the starters were streaky on the offensive end. Junior guard KK Arnold tied a career-high with seven assists, but she shot 2-for-8 and went scoreless before halftime. Classmate Ashlynn Shade had an opposite showing, starting hot with eight points in the first half then going 0-for-5 from the field in the second.
“We have some inconsistencies in our perimeter guys shooting. When we’re good, we’re good — like you saw when Ash is making them, she’s making them, but when she’s not, she’s not,” Auriemma said. “Azzi’s the one who, we know if we get her enough touches, something good is going to happen. It would make her job a lot easier on a regular basis if we had some other guys, but some nights you’re just gonna have to do more on your own.”
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UConn women’s basketball escapes No. 6 Michigan with thrilling victory led by Azzi Fudd
The Huskies will need a more complete effort with less than 48 hours of turnaround before facing Utah on Sunday for their second game in the Hall of Fame Showcase. Fortunately for UConn, the unranked matchup shouldn’t be nearly the challenge Michigan was.
The Utes suffered a 61-49 loss to Syracuse in their first game of the Showcase on Friday, their second straight defeat after falling to No. 25 Washington at home last weekend. Utah lost star guard Gianna Kneepkens to UCLA in the transfer portal during the offseason, and the program is going through a significant rebuild with just five returners and no starters from last year on the roster. The team currently has three players averaging double-digit points per game, but the Utes have struggled to find consistent offense in both their matchups with power conference opponents so far.
Auriemma said Friday that the short turnaround won’t impact the Huskies’ game plan in terms of their defensive pressure or offensive pace, but his biggest priority will be balancing the rotation better than he did against Michigan.
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“We didn’t get any production from our bench, so we couldn’t do what we’ve been doing which is try to keep everybody fresh and play 22, 25 minutes,” Auriemma said. “Nobody should have to play 40, 37 minutes, so we have to address that … When you don’t have the luxury of getting a couple of breathers, it’s hard.”
How to watch UConn women’s basketball vs. Utah
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Time/date: 2:30 p.m., Sunday
Team records: UConn 5-0, Utah 3-2
Series record: First meeting
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX Sports app
Radio: UConn Sports Network on FOX Sports 97.9
