UConn women raise championship banner, then Strong and Fudd lead charge in rout of Florida State

STORRS — On the day the UConn women’s basketball team hung its 2025 NCAA Championship banner in the rafters at Gampel Pavilion, redshirt senior Azzi Fudd looked exactly like the version of herself that won the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award in Tampa, Florida seven months ago.

Fudd powered the No. 1 Huskies to a 99-67 rout of Florida State in their home opener Sunday, dropping 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting plus five assists, three rebounds and two steals. The star guard put up 20 points in the first half alone, capping her spectacular start with a mid-range jumpshot at the buzzer that sent UConn into halftime leading by 24.

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Fellow superstar Sarah Strong also had a dominant all-around performance. She finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, an identical stat line to the one she posted in the team’s first game against No. 20 Louisville. The sophomore forward also added four assists, two blocks and two steals Sunday shooting 70% from the field.

The first quarter was rocky for the Huskies, who began the game on a possession with four consecutive missed field goals. Florida State got out to a hot start from 3-point range while UConn shot a combined 35% from the field, but Fudd and Strong kept the offense alive early.

Coach Geno Auriemma went to the bench earlier and for more extended minutes than he did in the season opener against Louisville, and it paid off quickly. Sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel checked into the game after the first media timeout, and two seconds later she recorded her first steal of the game. The USC transfer had just four points in the first half, but she played 10 minutes thanks to a dominant performance on the defensive end. Heckel already had a career-high six steals at halftime, contributing to UConn’s 15 turnovers forced against the Seminoles.

Redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy splitting minutes almost evenly with starting center Serah Williams in the first half. Williams showed some visible nerves early in her first-ever game at Gampel Pavilion beginning 0-for-4 from the field, but the Wisconsin transfer settled in once the third quarter began.

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Florida State began the second half with some momentum sinking yet another 3-pointer until Williams swung the energy back in UConn’s favor. The senior forward scored five straight points including a forced turnover into an and-1 that drew a massive roar from the crowd, and the spark quickly snowballed into a 15-0 Huskies run.

Auriemma pulled all the starters off the floor after the third-quarter run, and Heckel continued to shine down the stretch. She finished scoring in double digits for the second straight game with 12 points plus three assists. Sophomore guard Allie Ziebell also had a strong showing off the bench, playing a career-high 21 minutes and finishing with seven points shooting 75% from the field plus four rebounds and a pair of steals.

After both missed nearly all of the last two seasons with injuries, redshirt sophomore Ayanna Patterson and redshirt senior Caroline Ducharme also got to have their moments on banner night. Patterson made her first official game appearance since March 25, 2023 and scored her first points on a layup midway through the fourth quarter. Ducharme nailed a 3-pointer from the wing on the Huskies’ next possession for her first points of the season.

Ducharme went on to finish with five points and six rebounds, and all 12 UConn players who saw the court against Florida State scored. The bench combined for 35 points, and the team’s 99 total points were the most it has ever recorded in the history of its series with the Seminoles. The Huskies also scored 42 points off of 23 forced turnovers.