When it comes to the storied UConn women’s basketball program, rivalries run deep.
Especially when it comes to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
After suffering three straight losses against the Irish from 2022-2025, the top-ranked Huskies had some unfinished business.
And, when you have Sarah Strong on your roster, it’s certainly easy to take care of that business.
On Monday night, Connecticut and Strong took matters into their own hands.
They defeated the Irish 85-47 in front of a packed crowd in the Basketball Capital of the World. With a 38-point margin, it marks the largest lead the Huskies have won by in the 31-year history between these two teams.
With the win, Strong amassed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while notching her 1,000th career point in the second quarter. After accomplishing this feat, Strong becomes the third Husky all-time to attain 1,000 career points the quickest in just 58 straight career games.
The two players before her on that list?
Paige Bueckers and Maya Moore.
As a sophomore, the North Carolina native is in good company, often compared by media and fans alike to Moore.
“I would love to see if anybody has scored 1,000 points by taking less shots than she’s taking. She’s so efficient.” Head coach Geno Auriemma said on the forwards achievement.
To kick things off against the Irish in Storrs, the Huskies came out all guns blazing.
Right off the bat, the Huskies went on an 8-0 run and pushed the Irish to only notch two field goals in the first frame, and guard Hannah Hidalgo, the Irish’s points leader, to zero points.
However, the second quarter told a different story than the first.
Hidalgo and the Irish worked to cut their deficit, matching the Huskies 16 points they racked up, Hidalgo scoring 10 of them.
While the Huskies were still maintaining their steady defense and full-court pressure, Auriemma was not entirely satisfied with his roster’s offense.
“I thought the first two quarters, we spent too much time, I think, trying to get the perfect shot, trying to get everything exactly right.” Auriemma said to the media, “And that’s not who we are. I thought we weren’t as aggressive as we can be. We weren’t in the attacking mode like we have been.”
At the end of the first half the score was 32-23, and coming out of the locker room for intermission, the Huskies looked to extend their lead even further.
The Huskies adjusted their offense and stayed persistent on the defensive end in efforts to put a fork in the game.
The head of the snake of UConn’s defensive game?
KK Arnold.
Over the last few games, Auriemma has highlighted the junior’s growth as a guard in terms of her leadership and ability to ravage Hidalgo and her teammates’ offensive opportunities.
“I thought this is the best game that she’s played since she’s been at Connecticut.” Auriemma said, “Because, you know, it’s a mentality to play really well against a really good player.”
Auriemma credited Arnold, Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade to flipping the script in the third and fourth quarters to build such a hefty lead as they finished the game with.
“In a nutshell, the third quarter was KK [Arnold], Ash [Shade] and Azzi [Fudd], defensively, just changing the game and getting us into some transition baskets.” Auriemma said.
The only achilles heel that came for the Huskies in this bout was their three-point shooting. Out of all four quarters, the Huskies only shot 6-24 from beyond the arc (25%). However, their ability to cash in points made up for it.
“I think that’s something that is super unique about our team, is that you really can’t take one thing away from us,” Fudd said to the media postgame, “If our three-point shot isn’t falling we can score at the other two levels. You can take me away; you have the rest of the team that can score. Our team is just so versatile.”
With this win, the Huskies extend their undefeated streak to 19 games.
The only other team that’s undefeated in women’s Division I college basketball?
Auriemma’s former player Shea Ralph and her Vanderbilt Commodores.
“To go down there and do what she’s done in such a short period of time, I think is really cool.” Auriemma said, highlighting how excited he is to see what’s next for their schedule.
As for Connecticut, next, they are set to go on the road for a Big East road trip. First, they will travel to the Nation’s Capital to take on the Georgetown Hoyas on Thursday evening with a tip-off time of 7:30 p.m. Husky fans can tune in to the game on TNT.