Geno Auriemma Explains UConn Forward’s Relentless Aggression
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Undefeated seasons don’t stay perfect by accident, and that’s true for the Huskies as well. The UConn Huskies are 12-0 this season. Their last match was against Iowa, and the Huskies won 90–64. Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong carried the scoring in UConn’s 90–64 win over Iowa, but the game’s edge came from the margins.
It came from Blanca Quiñonez, who scored 10 points in 21 minutes. In the limited minutes she played, she went 4-for-5 from the field, hit a 3-pointer, added four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Those numbers were part of what helped UConn turn Iowa's mistakes into 41 points off turnovers.
Quiñonez was aggressive and relentless in the game. In fact, Geno Auriemma had something to say about his freshman forward’s aggression and the reason behind it.
“Blanca, well, I’m always angry with her, so maybe that’s why…she has played so much basketball that she takes it very seriously. You don’t find that very often. It’s almost like junior hockey. These kids leave home, go live somewhere else with another family, and then they come out and go to the NHL as tough guys because they know how to take care of themselves," started Auriemma.
Blanca Quiñonez ➡️ Azzi Fudd 🟰👌🏽
— Conrado Pascual (@CP3_777) December 20, 2025
It can’t be emphasized enough how important it is to have players who can make quick reads + optimal passes off of OREB. Blanca has an AST% of 19.1% (92nd %ile) in 2nd-chance scoring opportunities. Finds the open shooter.pic.twitter.com/TgRx6GQ6k9
That seriousness shows up in the data. Against Iowa, UConn never trailed, never allowed a tie, and scored 18 fast-break points. Quiñonez, in her freshman season, has been averaging 10.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 55.4% from the field. Auriemma traces that edge back to the journey before Storrs.
As Auriemma puts it, “She left Ecuador as a teenager, went to Italy, and played with players 30 years old while taking care of herself for the most part. I think you grow up fast in that situation, and you develop a sense of urgency and purpose. She’s not playing just for the fun of it. Even though she does have fun playing, there’s a real purpose behind it.”
Quiñonez, as Auriemma mentioned, comes with experience. She made her debut internationally as a teenager, representing Ecuador in U15, U16, and even senior competitions. In fact, Quiñonez was also a part of the South American Women’s Championship team in 2022, where she was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
SUPERSTAR: Blanca Quiñonez could be the next UConn GREAT #uconnbasketball pic.twitter.com/Xhnjfk7Cqt
— Locked On UConn (@LockedOnUConn) December 19, 2025
By 2020, she was playing professionally in Italy’s Serie A1, where she was averaging 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds last season. She has also competed in the EuroCup Women with Campobasso and played against grown professionals. That path creates a different relationship with the game, and it explains why Quiñonez’s aggression is more natural than forced.
Against Iowa, Quiñonez committed three fouls, absorbed contact inside, and still finished with an 80% shooting night. UConn scored 40 points in the paint, and 14 second-chance points, and Quiñonez helped sustain that pressure.
“She didn’t come here just because moving from Campobasso, Italy, to Storrs was a step up, although in some ways it is. I’ve been to Campobasso. I know it’s a beautiful town. It really is,” added Auriemma.
Azzi Fudd Backs Geno Auriemma On Blanca Quiñonez
Azzi Fudd sees it from the floor, not the podium, and her read matches her coach’s.
“Blanca. I feel like the way she plays, you can tell that she’s been playing pro basketball overseas. The moves she makes, the confidence she has, her scoring ability, she can score on anyone, anytime she wants. But what I’m most proud of is her defense,” Fudd started.
That defensive impact has been measurable. Against USC, Quiñonez scored 12 points, four steals, one block and one turnover in a 79–51 win. Meanwhile, against Marquette, she scored 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, knocked down two threes, and added a steal and a block in UConn’s 89–53 win for the Huskies.
In the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase against Utah, she delivered her most complete offensive night, scoring 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, hitting three threes, and making five rebounds in just 18 minutes.
Fudd also went on to add, “To start the season, our defense was a little questionable. Even the first half was a little questionable. But the way she can really be a lockdown defender when she wants to be makes it so much fun. When she’s picking up full court and getting steals, it changes everything. She’s so talented offensively and defensively. Having her on the court, you can’t guard her, and it makes it so much fun because it makes it hard for the defense.”
-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.