The top-ranked UConn Huskies fought off a valiant comeback bid by the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, pulling out a 72-69 victory.
The Huskies led by as many as 20 in the second half, only for Michigan to roar back and get within a single possession three times in the final minute. Syla Swords hit three straight 3-pointers at the end, the latter of which pulled the Wolverines within one with 17 seconds left. Azzi Fudd made two clutch free throws to push the lead to three, then UConn stole in the ensuing inbounds, only to give it right back in the final seconds. Michigan never ultimately got the potential game-tying shot off and the Huskies escaped with the victory.
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Fudd was clutch down the stretch, scoring 13 of UConn’s 23 points in the final period while making four gotta-have-it free throws at the end en route to 31 points. Sarah Strong had 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to go along with six assists, four blocks and three steals. Those two combined for 47 of UConn’s 72 points while starters accounted for all but five points.
The Huskies blitzed the Wolverines out of the chute, building a 22-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. UConn dominated the defensive end, holding Michigan to just two baskets in the frame while forcing as many turnovers as points allowed.
The Wolverines eventually settled in during the second quarter. A move to a 2-3 zone slowed down the Huskies’ offense while Michigan finally started to find the basket itself. The Wolverines spent much of the period out-scoring UConn until Fudd hit a shot at the buzzer to extend the lead.
Out of the break, Michigan came alive. The Wolverines held UConn to just four points in the third quarter and closed on a 13-0 run to cut the gap down to just four.
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From there, Fudd came to the rescue. After Michigan pulled within two, Fudd hit a massive 3-pointer, snapping a 7:58-long scoring drought and 0-12 stretch from the field. She went on to score the Huskies’ first nine points of the fourth quarter, pushing the lead back to double-figures. KK Arnold followed that up by converting a three-point play and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 13 with 3:37 remaining.
Michigan refused to go down without a fight, though. The Wolverines scored 12 of the next 15 points to make it a one-possession game with 49 ticks remaining. Out of a timeout, Strong converted a layup with 26 seconds left to put UConn up 68-63. Swords answered with a 3-pointer down the other end, then Fudd hit a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game. Again, Swords hit a triple from downtown to pull Michigan within a single point, only for Fudd to sink both shots from the line to push the line back to three.
Arnold forced a steal out of the inbounds in the dying seconds but then gave the ball right back. The Wolverines threw the ball up the court in search of a game-tying shot but Ashlynn Shade broke the pass up as the buzzer sounded. The Huskies ultimately came out with a hard-fought three-point victory.
With the win, UConn remains undefeated at 5-0. Next, the Huskies will have the day off before taking on Utah in the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Sunday.
