Despite missing Sarah Strong, UConn women’s basketball waxed the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday in Hartford, 80-48.
The superstar sat out the contest to rest, according to the team. With Blanca Quiñonez also sidelined due to a shoulder injury, the Huskies were without two of their top three scorers.
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It didn’t matter. UConn got a balanced scoring effort as all five starters reached double-figures while every player who saw action scored. Azzi Fudd led the team with 17 points, Ashlynn Shade, Serah Williams and Allie Ziebell all put up 11 points while KK Arnold added 10 points. Ziebell, who started in place of Strong, set a career-high with four steals, tying Arnold for the team-high.
For the third straight game, Fudd scored UConn’s opening points. Butler answered with a 3-pointer to briefly pull ahead before the Huskies put up 10 of the next 12 points to go ahead for good.
UConn’s half-court defense struggled in the early going. The Huskies generated nine turnovers in the first but when the Bulldogs broke through the press, they had little trouble scoring. The visitors connected on four of their first six shots, two of which were from deep.
Once UConn’s defense stiffened up, Butler couldn’t do anything. The Bulldogs needed just 5:20 to make their first four shots, then went 17:45 before they made four more.
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In the second quarter, Fudd accounted for the Huskies’ first eight points and sparked a 12-0 run. UConn took a 25-point lead into the half. Out of the break, the Huskies ripped off seven straight points to push the gap past 30. From there, they cruised the rest of the way to a 32-point victory.
With the win, UConn improves to 25-0 overall and 14-0 in Big East play. Next up, the Huskies will face Creighton at Gampel Pavilion on Thursday.
