UConn women’s basketball overcame a rough start to beat the Seton Hall Pirates 92-52 at Walsh Gymnasium on Saturday. The Huskies fell behind 6-0 out of the gate — the largest deficit they’ve faced through 21 games — but settled in and led for the final 34:31.
Azzi Fudd kept UConn afloat by scoring its first nine points en route to a 14-point day. Sarah Strong led the Huskies with 17 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and three steals while Blanca Quiñonez provided a big boost off the bench with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a thunderous block. Allie Ziebell also reached double-figures with 11 points.
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Serah Williams left the game early in the second half with an apparent right leg injury and didn’t return.
UConn’s starters accounted for 47 points while the bench had 45.
Early on, UConn struggled to stop Seton Hall. The hosts scored the first six points — all of which came from Mariana Valenzuela. Fudd responded with a 6-0 run herself, then answered a jumper from Valenzuela with a 3-pointer of her own. The two players accounted for the game’s opening 16 points.
The Huskies’ defense provided little resistance as the Pirates made seven of their first 11 shots. Once that unit locked in, UConn pulled away. The Huskies made seven consecutive buckets in the first quarter and used used a 9-0 burst to take the lead for good. Meanwhile, Seton Hall made just one of its next 10 shots after the hot start.
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In the second quarter, the Pirates cut the gap down to nine with 6:52 remaining before UConn scored 20 of the final 27 points of the half. The Huskies took a 22-point lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, UConn’s defense turned up the dial and shut Seton Hall down. The hosts made three of its first six shots in the second half, then went 3-22 the rest of the way. The Huskies, meanwhile, didn’t miss more than two consecutive shots over the final 20 minutes. Despite the bad start, UConn came away with a 40-point victory.
With the win, the Huskies improve to 21-0 overall and 11-0 in Big East play. Next, UConn will return home to take on Xavier and induct Aaliyah Edwards into the Huskies of Honor on Thursday at Gampel Pavilion.
