UConn women’s basketball closed out the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase with a dominant 93-41 win over the Utah Utes at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday. The Huskies never trailed.
Azzi Fudd had 24 points — a mark Utah didn’t surpass until the 9:10 mark of the fourth quarter — on 9-11 shooting and a 4-4 day from three to go with a career-high eight rebounds. Blanca Quiñonez also set a new best with 21 points, hitting 8-11 from the floor and 3-5 from three. Sarah Strong reached double-figures as well
with 15 points along with four boards and four helpers while Allie Ziebell totaled 10 points for the first time all season.
UConn put its stamp on the game early. The Huskies jumped out to a 10-3 lead, then ripped off a 14-0 run before closing the first quarter on an 8-0 spurt. At the end of the first quarter, both Fudd and Strong (nine points each) were out-scoring Utah (eight points). The Utes had as many turnovers as points.
With a big lead, Geno Auriemma took the opportunity to experiment with some lineups. Kelis Fisher came in at the end of the first quarter — her first appearance before halftime all season — while Caroline Ducharme saw four minutes of action. The Huskies also spent time without either Fudd or Strong on the floor.
Out of the break, Utah went into full meltdown mode. At one point, UConn forced turnovers on five straight possessions, which powered an 18-0 run to put the lead past 40 points.
The Huskies gave their bench plenty of minutes in the fourth quarter en route to a 52-point victory — their second-largest margin of the season.
With the win, UConn improves to 6-0 on the year. Next, the Huskies will have a week off for Thanksgiving before returning next Sunday to kick off Big East play with a trip to Xavier. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
