DePaul was no match for the Huskies, the No. 1 women's basketball team in the land.
With UConn royalty in the house Sunday, the Huskies women’s basketball team showed why they wear the crown as the defending national champion.
Before the game, UConn retired the No. 10 of legendary point guard Sue Bird, who watched as the Huskies decimated DePaul 102-35 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies scored more than half their points – 52 – off 32 DePaul turnovers.
UConn (9-0, 2-0 Big East) dominated each quarter, limiting DePaul (2-8, 0-2) to quarters of nine, nine, 13 and four points. The Huskies took a 58-18 lead into halftime.
This was the third 100-point game for the Huskies, who so far this season look like they are poised to make a deep run at defending their national championship.
“I feel like we're just playing off each other, making the right reads,” UConn standout Sarah Strong said. “I thought we're doing a better job playing together and whatever the defense throws at us, we're just communicating.”
Strong led the Huskies with 20 points in just 17 minutes. Kayleigh Heckel came off the bench to score 16 points and add a team-high six rebounds. Combined, Heckel and Strong were 14-of-17 shooting and perfect on a trio of 3-point shots.
Azzi Fudd added 16 points, and KK Arnold had seven assists.
Off the bench
With a huge lead, Auriemma put the game in the hands of his bench. Of the 200 minutes available in a regulation game, starters Strong, Fudd, Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and Serah Williams combined to play 90 minutes, with the bench seeing the court for the other 110. Blowouts like this one are allowing Auriemma to build depth for the long season ahead.
It’s the fourth game of the season that the Huskies have won by more than 50 points.
Other impressive numbers:
- The reserves scored 48 points, compared to 10 from the DePaul bench.
- UConn stole the ball 23 times, led by Strong with five and Fudd with four.
- The Huskies outrebounded the Blue Demons 39-26, shot 63% from the floor and 67% from 3-point range.
One stat that won’t make Auriemma happy? From the free-throw line against DePaul, the Huskies hit just 14 of 24 attempts (58.3%).
Next up for UConn
The Huskies should get a better test in their next game, set for Saturday, when they travel to Los Angeles to face No. 16 Southern California. Even without injured star JuJu Watkins, the Trojans represent a tick up in competition.
USC is 6-2 on the season, with losses to No. 2 South Carolina and No. 24 Notre Dame.
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