No. 1 UConn Women’s Hoops thumps St. John’s by 36 at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK – In the words of Jon Rothstein:
“UConn-St. John’s. Standalone game.”
Standalone, in this case, meant the first time both Big East charter members had Madison Square Garden to themselves.
The No. 1 UConn women’s basketball team and St. John’s Red Storm had previously played on 33rd and 8th as part of multi-game events. Sunday evening, however, was a different atmosphere.
Nearly 10,000 people, most of them rooting for UConn, packed the arena’s lower bowl. All of them witnessed multiple pursuits reach their final destination.
The Huskies completed their 20-0 Big East campaign and 31-0 regular season with a commanding 85-49 victory over St. John’s. Out of their 20 league wins, 18 of them, including Sunday night’s wire-to-wire contest, were decided by 32+ points.
“It is not easy when you are expected to win every single game,” head coach Geno Auriemma said afterward. “They should be proud of themselves.”
Azzi Fudd received the loudest applause during the starting lineups and the largest congregation near the tunnel after the game. Meeting both of those moments and more, Fudd led all players with 14 points. The class of 2021 No. 1 recruit was the last starter to get on the board and she still sported a plus-minus of plus-24.
Serah Williams and Sarah Strong each made five field goals and scored 11 points. Strong flirted with a non-traditional triple-double with seven rebounds and six steals to go with four assists. Williams grabbed six boards and rejected two shots without turning the ball over.
“She played like a UConn player today,” Auriemma remarked about the former Wisconsin Badger. “She made plays today that we are going to need her to make. She was the defensive presence that we needed her to be.”
Williams accumulated 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks across two games in New York City. Being back in her own backyard twice has made the 6-foot-4 senior appreciate the opportunities she has received while at UConn.
“It is a blessing,” Williams expressed. “Coming here [to Madison Square Garden] is almost like a homecoming. It is like a dream come true.”
After those four, KK Arnold and Kayleigh Heckel each had nine points and 3+ assists. Reigning Big East Sixth Player of the Year Ashlynn Shade had seven first-quarter points and three rebounds. Blanca Quiñonez had three dimes and two steals to complement her five points.
Connecticut again utilized a balanced attack and a stout defense. The Huskies scored 25 points off 22 Red Storm giveaways while recording 15 steals. UConn surrendered just 10 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle 32-22.
None of St. John’s 10 available players crossed double figures. Only Jailah Donald dropped more than five points in either half, and she had all eight of hers in the final two quarters. Sa’Mya Wyatt and Kylie Lavelle picked up seven apiece. Leading scorer Brooke Moore buried two triples for six points. Daniela Abies and Shaulana Wagner each had three but grabbed at least five rebounds.
A regular-season finale at Madison Square Garden did not affect the Huskies’ gameplan. Connecticut went on an 8-0 run after Wyatt answered Strong’s game-opening triple. Arnold’s mid-court steal and subsequent bucket yielded Tartamella’s first timeout.
Fudd scored on her own fast-break chance before Abies stopped the double-digit run. Consecutive offensive rebounds on the ensuing possessions resulted in a three-pointer that Shade swished from the corner. The Indiana native added another layup, and the AAU Sullivan Award finalist buried two floaters for a 15-point advantage after one quarter.
St. John’s broke their almost five-minute scoring drought with a Moore three-pointer. Despite their 4-0 second-quarter start, the Huskies peppered the paint. Williams and Ziebell made two layups apiece to force another Red Storm timeout.
UConn did not make consecutive shots the rest of the half after the reigning Big East Player of the Week’s jumper a minute later. While the Johnnies committed more turnovers, their defense forced the Huskies away from their usual shots. Ariel Little heaved a prayer at the buzzer that hit the glass, concluding a first half that had the Huskies ahead 43-20.
A minute passed in the second half before Arnold landed a second-chance floater. Following two Wyatt free throws, two dueling three-pointers sandwiched a Strong hookshot. Connecticut’s sharpest shooters each sank a shot from downtown, and two floaters stretched the lead to 32.
The Huskies turned the period’s final possession from a potential disaster to a positive situation. Heckel nearly lost possession of the basketball. The former USC Trojan recovered, then passed the ball to Williams for the running layup.
Injury scares in the final frame nearly marred the entire game. Strong hobbled around after colliding knees with St. John’s not long before Ziebell’s three-point play. Moments later, Quiñonez took some time getting up during the rebound following a missed shot from the perimeter.
Neither required immediate attention; UConn’s first South American player stayed in the game for another five minutes.
The Huskies’ fifth leading scorer picked up the team’s first five points over the period’s opening five minutes. Jana El Alfy ended that stretch with a floater out of the media timeout before the crowd roared for each substitute that entered. Kelis Fisher and Caroline Ducharme each landed layups as the Huskies recorded their third straight perfect conference campaign.
Despite finishing their first perfect regular season in eight years, Auriemma expects Connecticut’s NCAA Tournament experience to be slightly different.
“It is certainly not going to be as easy as it was last season; somebody like Paige [Bueckers] can do that,” college basketball’s winningest coach stated. “But we have enough good players to have as good a chance as anybody else to win the national championship.”
Before March Madness officially commences, however, UConn kicks off its postseason play at Mohegan Sun Arena. The top-seeded Huskies will face either the ninth-seeded Butler Bulldogs or the eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. Saturday afternoon’s tip-off is at 12 p.m. EST on Peacock and NBCSN.
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