With an 89-53 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles Wednesday night, the top-ranked UConn women’s basketball team extended their win streak, dating back to last season, from 20 games to 21.
That’s right, 21 games.
It’s no surprise that the winningest coach in Division I college basketball, Geno Auriemma, would have a win streak such as that one.
However, even with accomplishing a feat like that, the current UConn women’s basketball program has taken their 2025-26 season by storm.
The squad has notched dominating wins over ranked opponents, including USC and Michigan, all while remaining undefeated so far this season.
On Wednesday night against the Golden Eagles, the Huskies kept this momentum rolling.
Sarah Strong, the Big East preseason player of the year, finished the matchup with 22 points and seven rebounds, despite racking up a total of six turnovers in the first quarter.
“Some of it, I think, was just carelessness,” Auriemma said on the sophomore’s new career high of six turnovers. “Sometimes she tries too hard to make a play for somebody else; most of the time she gets it right.”
From start to finish, though, the Huskies had their pedal to the metal, taking control of the game from every end of the court.
By way of consistent defensive pressure shown by Azzi Fudd and Blanca Quiñonez, it forced the Golden Eagles to make 15 turnovers and only go 8-for-27 from the field in the first half.
“I think we started this season off of really trying to make an emphasis of having defense be part of our team identity.” Fudd said, “I really think defense is like, it’s effort. And I think that when we go in, we definitely feed off each other’s energy and defensive intensity.”
Time and time again, Fudd, last year’s NCAA National Championship Most Outstanding Player, has earned Auriemma’s trust. Especially because of the Virginia native’s ability to maintain congruent scoring and pressure on the defensive side of the ball.
The 5-foot-11 graduate finished the game with 14 points, going 5-for-10 from the field and shooting 50% from the arc.
Fudd is within reach of joining Tony Snell from the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks to have a 50-50-100 split season. With her being one of the main focal points of UConn’s scoring, accomplishing that achievement is plausible for her final season.
At the end of the first half, the score was 46-21, UConn, and with a hefty 25-point lead heading into the second half of the game, it gave the Huskies a chance to utilize their depth up and down their bench to their advantage.
Players like Quiñonez, Kayleigh Heckel and Serah Williams stepped out and put their game on display for Hartford to see.
Williams, who has made her way in a UConn jersey, slowly but surely had a confident outing. The senior finished the game with 11 points going 5-7 from the field.
“She’s [Williams] played amazing these last two games, and you can just tell she looks more comfortable.” Fudd said to the media postgame on Williams and how the Husky squad is adjusting to one another, “And I feel like we’re really as it goes on, we’re continuing to learn how to play with each other, how to play off each other’s strengths, how to play off the ball up for the new people how to play in this new system.”
With every new season comes a new roster, but for the Huskies they all feel they are adjusting well with one another and the timeline they set for themselves.
Or, as Williams described them, “a moldy team.”
“It’s hard to have a bad day here, because there is always gonna be a couple of people that will make you laugh.” Williams said.
As far as their undefeated record, Auriemma is content with the way things have played out so far this season.
“I like where we are. I think we could be a lot better, though.” Auriemma concluded.
Next up on the docket, the Huskies have a tall task ahead of them, as they will take on the No. 11 Iowa Hawkeyes this weekend. The program will travel to on Saturday Brooklyn, N.Y. for the Women’s Championship Classic presented by Shark Beauty. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The game will be available to watch on Fox.