The fifth-ranked UConn women’s basketball team (28-3, 18-0) honored four seniors after completing its perfect 18-0 Big East campaign in front of the Gampel Pavilion crowd on Sunday afternoon.
Paige Bueckers led all scorers with 19 points on 7/11 shooting, with Sarah Strong (17) and Azzi Fudd (12) both reaching double-digits in the Huskies’ 35-point win over the Golden Eagles.
“That’s what you wanted to happen,” said Geno Auriemma post-game. “You wanted to show the best version of yourself.”
Aubrey Griffin got the starting nod over redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy in her final regular season game as a Husky, her name bouncing off the Gampel walls as she was announced as a starter for the first time this season.
“Having her really impacts the whole vibe of our defense,” Auriemma said.
Griffin played arguably her best game of the season in the Huskies’ romp of Marquette, notching 11 points and four rebounds on 5/6 shooting from the field while pestering Golden Eagle ball handlers on the other end of the floor.
“Aubrey was—just like the other night—instrumental in creating that tone,” said Auriemma. “[It starts] the process of the other team feeling like they’re constantly under pressure and every pass is going to be contested, and every dribble and every shot.”
11 of the 12 available Huskies scored in the 35-point win, with only Carolina Ducharme (who played just north of seven minutes) failing to get on the board. The 92 points marks the sixth time this year UConn has eclipsed the 90-point threshold.
Redshirt sophomore Ice Brady made her long-awaited return to the court midway through the second quarter on Sunday afternoon after dealing with a left shoulder injury for the last handful of weeks.
Auriemma described to the media on Saturday morning Brady’s “new sense of purpose” that was developed while in rehab, saying that Brady looks and feels different compared to herself before the injury.
That was evident while watching the third-year center on Sunday.
Brady devoured two offensive rebounds and scored six points in 15 minutes of gametime, drilling a three-pointer from the top of the key as the first half expired.
“Ice thrives on confidence—success, I should say—success gives her confidence,” said Auriemma. “When she does [have it], she blossoms right in front of your eyes.”
The entire Husky lineup showcased its shooting confidence in Connecticut’s 38/64 (59.3%) outing from the field. Strong (8/12) and Bueckers (7/11) led the way in field goals made, with Griffin leading the team in FG% (83.3).
Marquette drained two three-pointers to start the game, with Skylar Forbes and Lee Volker both hitting on open looks, as the Golden Eagles opened on a 6-2 run.
This would be the last of the Marquette lead. Not even a minute later, the game was tied after Strong laid it in from under the basket, with the Huskies taking the lead on the next possession by way of an Azzi Fudd layup.
UConn allowed just six points in the final 6:21 of the first quarter, taking a 31-15 lead into the break. Bueckers spearheaded the scoring charge with 11 in the first period.
Marquette found good looks—and hit on them—throughout most of the first half. The team shot 60% from three in the first two quarters and 48% from the field, recording 34 points on the nation’s number one defense per 100 possessions.
Forbes, Volker, Olivia Porter and Kennedi Perkins all hit triples for the Golden Eagles, who were able to stick around the 15-to-17-point range with the Huskies most of the first half.
“I think you can get carried away when we’re scoring a lot of points; so it doesn’t matter how many they get,” said Auriemma. “And that’s a bad way to go into the post season.”
Connecticut buckled down in the third quarter, allowing just eight points on a 3/14 mark from the field (0/7 from three-point land). The Huskies ended the third period up 74-42, hitting on 7/13 field goal attempts—led by Strong’s six points.
The Huskies will now wait to see how the Big East playing field sorts itself out to determine who will be its first matchup at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, March 8. The Huskies will await the winner of the No. 9 and No. 8 overall seeds and will play again on March 8 at noon.