The UConn Women’s Basketball Team advanced to the Big East Tournament Championship game, defeating the Villanova Wildcats 82-54 in one of two semifinal tournament games played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Sunday afternoon.
The final margin of 28 points did not reflect play in the first half of the game, where both teams battled back and forth for the lead halfway through the second quarter. Beginning with a layup from graduate guard Azzi Fudd in the second quarter, four Huskies combined for 26 points to bring the Huskies to a lead of 47-37 at halftime.
Following the game, UConn Coach Geno Auriemma expressed frustration at the Huskies’ defensive efforts during the first half and said he told the team that, after defeating Villanova twice during the regular season by substantial margins, the team should not allow the Wildcats to hang around.
The Huskies continued to build on that margin in the second half, with the Huskies building a lead of thirty points in the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Paige Bueckers led the Huskies scoring 23 points and six assists, followed by freshman guard Sarah Strong with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Azzi Fudd scored 14 points, freshman guard Jana El-Alfy scored 7 points and pulled down 7 rebounds while graduate guard Kaitlyn Chen scored 5 points.
Sophomore guard Maddie Webber led the Wildcats in scoring, putting up a total of 15 points, while Junior Forward Denae Carter scored ten points.
The twenty point plus margin the Huskies enjoyed during the fourth quarter allowed Huskies Coach Auriemma to substitute most of his starters, playing eleven players. The bench players included guard Carolyn Ducharme, who scored for the second time in two games after coming back from head and neck injuries which sidelined her for most of the season.
In the second game of the semifinals, the Creighton Bluejays defeated the Seton Hall Pirates by a score of 73-44, setting up a tournament championship game with the Huskies scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Monday night.
