Azzi Fudd was reflective after practice on Sunday about what it would be like to play her final game at Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus.

“Gampel has been home for the last five years, and the environment is second to none,” she said. “The fans, the students, everything about this place. It's the best place to play. … Happy to just be able to have one last game here with my teammates.”

Fudd, the Huskies and a packed crowd in Storrs, Conn., won’t forget her final game at Gampel anytime soon.

No. 1 overall seed UConn defeated No. 9 Syracuse 98-45 in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday in a contest that was an onslaught from the beginning.

Next up for UConn is a date with No. 4 seed North Carolina on Friday in the Sweet 16 in the Fort Worth 1 Region. This is the 32nd consecutive appearance on the second weekend of the tournament for the Huskies, extending the longest streak in Division I history.

Fudd scored 12 of her career-high-tying 34 points in the first quarter, which UConn ended on an 11-0 run to take a 33-8 lead at the end of the frame.

The Huskies (36-0) showed it was possible to be even more dominant in the second quarter. They scored the first 20 points – a 31-0 run in total – before the Orange (24-9) put up the first of their two baskets in the quarter. UConn took a 65-12 lead into halftime.

“Tonight was really special,” Fudd told ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the game. “It wasn’t about me. It was about the team and we played really good team basketball tonight. The crowd was incredible as it is every night but to have one last night, you're just focused in, embrace it, enjoy it. It was amazing.”

That crowd saw an incredible performance up and down the lineup, a gift to legendary coach Geno Auriemma on his 72nd birthday.

In the first half, UConn’s swarming defense limited Syracuse to 6-of-25 shooting, 0 of 8 from 3-point range. The Orange turned the ball over 16 times, with UConn picking up 13 steals – four from Fudd.

UConn scored 30 points off turnovers and was 27-of-41 shooting (65.9%), making 9 of 15 from 3-point range, in the first half.

When a dejected Syracuse team came out for the third quarter, a few of the players had some tears welling in their eyes. Ahead of the game, coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she recognized the buzzsaw they would face in UConn but what was important was that the players were there for each other and had confidence.

And they performed much better in the third quarter, equaling UConn’s 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Laila Phelia, a standout for Syracuse all season, scored all 10 of her points in the frame.

Syracuse also matched UConn’s 16 points in the fourth quarter, playing an even half with the defending national champs.

The Orange turned the ball over only four times in the second half and improved to 15-of-39 shooting (38.5%), sending Legette-Jack and the team back to New York with a positive.

Star freshman Uche Izoje – the Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and an all-league first team selection – led the Orange with 12 points. Phelia, second in scoring for Syracuse on the season, made just 4 of 16 shots.

Fudd scored her 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-11 from long distance. Sarah Strong and Blanca Quinonez each scored 18 points on a combined 14-of-20 shooting.

Fudd, who joined Strong this season as a first-team All-American, did not play in the fourth quarter, denying her the chance of breaking her career scoring record or her career mark for 3-pointers made.

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