Azzi Fudd Praises UConn Forward After USC Surge
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The UConn Huskies are starting to make wins look almost effortless. Connecticut is undefeated this season and sit on a 10-0 record. Despite losing Paige Bueckers to the WNBA, the Huskies look just as good and primed for another championship run.
That was never clearer than against Southern California. UConn controlled the game from the start and never let it slip away. After USC built a 9-8 lead, the Huskies managed to make a 24–2 run that flipped the game.
That surge included 15 straight points to close the first quarter, turning a one-point deficit into a 32–11 lead early in the second. By halftime, UConn had held USC to just seven made field goals and opened up a 39–17 lead, putting the game firmly out of reach before the break.
Azzi Fudd made a team-high 17 points in the game. However, postgame, Fudd spoke about another player who managed to have a brilliant interior presence. And that player is none other than forward Serah Williams.
“Yeah, I think she just looked confident today,” Fudd said. “She went in, she looked confident and aggressive, and she owned the paint, whether it was a rebound or a putback. When she was posting up, she wanted that ball. It wasn’t a fake, like she was just pretending. She went in, and she meant business, and it was a lot of fun to see her play with that confidence that we all believe in her, to play with the confidence that we all believe she can have.”
Good ex of the synergy between Sarah Strong & Serah Williams. Serah attacking the gaps created by Sarah’s positioning. Sarah on ball-side wing ➡️ attack the midpost. Sarah at the top of the key ➡️ attack down low. Sarah on the block ➡️ attack the high postpic.twitter.com/8VXb1kJCTE
— Conrado Pascual (@CP3_777) December 13, 2025
In 21 minutes, Williams pulled down nine rebounds, protected the rim with two blocks, and played with a physical edge that USC couldn’t match. The moments Fudd describes were ones where Williams trusted her instincts instead of second-guessing.
Williams’ production this season has been steady and role-specific. Earlier in the season, she delivered a 12-point outing on 5-for-7 shooting against Ohio State in just 14 minutes, followed by a 10-point, six-rebound performance at Xavier and another 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting versus Loyola.
Williams has managed to pull down at least eight rebounds three times, recorded multiple block games against USC, Utah, and Florida State, and shot 100 percent from the field in back-to-back road wins at South Florida and Xavier.
What did Geno Auriemma have to say about Serah Williams?
Geno Auriemma saw the same thing Fudd did, but framed it in terms of identity. “There’s a difference in your team when you can get really good, solid play from your post players,” Auriemma said. “Thinking you can just shoot your way to being a really great team is probably not realistic.”
UConn’s 44 points in the paint against USC told the story. Williams helped establish that presence early, and Auriemma said it mattered on both ends.
“I think the way Serah got off to the start that she did helped on both ends of the floor. It helped us offensively to establish that, and it helped us defensively because she rebounded better today than she has throughout the first eight games. And especially on a day where Sarah Strong didn’t have her best stuff, it’s doubly important,” he added.
That reliability didn’t come out of nowhere. At Wisconsin, Williams was a primary offensive option and one of Big Ten’s most productive frontcourt players. As a junior, she started all 30 games, averaging 32.0 minutes, led the team with 19.2 points per game, and added 9.8 rebounds while shooting 49.3% from the field.
Williams even had 12 straight double-doubles, a Big Ten record, and reached 1,000 career points in just 66 games. That role has changed at UConn. Williams is no longer playing 30-plus minutes or leading the offense, but the efficiency and defensive output remain.
Moving from the Big 10 to the Big East is not an easy adjustment. However, it looks like Williams is finally adjusting.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.