No. 1 UConn Huskies clinch Sweet 16 spot over Syracuse Orange
The No. 1-seeded UConn Huskies (35-0, 20-0) defeated the No. 9-seeded Syracuse Orange (24-8, 12-6) 98-45 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
In Connecticut’s 53-point victory, three players reached double figures. Paving the way, Azzi Fudd tied her career high of 34 points in her final game at Gampel Pavilion. Additionally, the senior grabbed three rebounds, dished out five assists and snagged four steals.
In 28 minutes, the 23-year-old swished five of 11 (45.5%) shots from within the arc and sank eight of 11 (72.7%) three-pointers.
“I felt like I reached flow state,” said Fudd on her performance. “My teammates were just finding me [and] setting me great screens.”
Alongside the leader of the pack, Sarah Strong and Blanca Quiñonez tied for the second most points on the team, with 18 apiece. Strong finished the night burying five of six (83.3%) two-pointers, two of five (40%) long-range shots and went two-for-two from the free-throw line. Not to mention, the star forward nearly notched a double-double with nine boards.
As for Quiñonez, the freshman drilled five of seven (71.4%) field goals and went two-for-two from the three-point and free-throw line. It is worth mentioning that Kayleigh Heckel tallied nine off-the-bench points, shooting three of five (60%) from the floor and going three-for-three from the three-point line.
“That’s the best I’ve seen her defensively today,” said Head Coach Geno Auriemma. “Though she was really active, really smart [and] made really great decisions. She’s a terrific basketball player that just needs time to get activated with all this.”
Defensively, the Huskies converted 20 Syracuse turnovers into 35 points, with 24 fastbreak and 17 second-chance points.
Overall, UConn connected on 25 of 42 (59.5%) field goals, 13 of 26 (50%) deep shots and nine of 13 (69.2%) free throws.
Compared to the Orange, two players earned double figures. Izoje Uche contributed 12 points. From the paint, the center banked six of 13 (46.2%) shots. Trailing behind her, Laila Phelia accumulated 10 points.
Collectively, Syracuse hit 20 of 46 (43.5%) floor shots, just one of 18 (5.6%) attempts from downtown and two of five (40%) free throws.
Right out of the gate, Connecticut’s defensive pressure shined. Through the first three and a half minutes of the opening quarter, the reigning national champs kicked the game off with a six-and-a-half-minute 11-2 run. To stop the bleeding, Uche knocked down a pair of floor shots.
However, the Huskies kept the pedal to the metal and went on an 8-0 run as Syracuse experienced three straight errors. During this time, the 2026 Big East Champions went three-for-three from the field. This gave the squad a comfortable 20-6 advantage, forcing the Orange to call a time with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame.
Coming out of the timeout, the beginning of the end was on the horizon for Syracuse. With the help of a 19-2 run in a little over five minutes, UConn extended their lead to a detrimental 33-8 margin.
Heading into the second period, Connecticut continued right where they left off. In the first seven minutes, the Huskies controlled both ends of the court, scoring 20 points. Until Angelica Velez hit a jumper with three minutes left in the first half, the Orange struggled to find the net.
The last time the team had made a bucket was in the opening quarter with slightly under three and a half minutes left. In the 10-minute span, the Huskies secured a 31-0 run. Before going into the locker room, UConn finished the first half with a 9-0 run, putting them up 65-12 at halftime.
“I’m not sure that any of the scenarios that I thought about involved us going on a run like we did in the first half,” said Auriemma. “We were pretty focused and we were pretty locked in together. That’s the best 20 minutes that I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
Coming out of the break, Syracuse saw a spark of light. In the first five minutes of the third frame, the program went on a three-minute 11-0 run. The Orange held Connecticut to just a jumper and a triple from Fudd.
Since then, the team had drained just one of seven field goals, while the former Big East rival landed four of their last floor shots. At this time, UConn faced their first dry spell of three and a half minutes of the match.
After a media timeout, Connecticut found their rhythm once again. To finish the third period strong, the squad notched a 12-2 run lasting just over three minutes and notched an 82-29 lead.
Despite Syracuse going on a 6-0 run and UConn experiencing a scoring drought, a fourth-quarter comeback was not in sight for the Orange.
Next up, the Huskies will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to clash with the No. 4-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday at 2:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.
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