WBB: Past, present, and future collide in Huskies’ handling of No. 7 Tennessee
HARTFORD-Clad in their turn of the century threads and facing one of their most accomplished rivals, the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball program provided viewers of a touted Sunday matinee with a glimpse of the future in the wake of further adversity.
With Caroline Ducharme out with an undisclosed injury and Christyn Williams struggling from the field, freshman Azzi Fudd and sophomore Aaliyah Edwards took center stage in the tenth-ranked Huskies' latest tilt with No. 7 Tennessee. In front of a packed XL Center and a national audience, Fudd put in 25 points alongside Edwards’ most complete effort of the year (14 points. 8 rebounds) en route to a 75-56 win over the Volunteers. UConn (15-4) improved to 16-9 in the clash of collegiate titans, earning their most one-sided win in the rivalry since the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio (79-56).
Ducharme’s absence afforded Fudd the first start of her collegiate career, one sidelined in its early stages by medical woes of her own: Fudd missed a good portion of UConn’s early conference schedule with a foot injury, her departure only cast in a greater spotlight thanks to separate injuries to Paige Bueckers, Nika Muhl, and Aubrey Griffin.
Fudd’s impact was felt immediately when she bookended the opening frame with three-pointers. Though the Huskies held the Vols (19-4) to 26 percent shooting from the field, they had trouble pulling away thanks in part to seven turnovers in the first, three lost by Williams, who was 0-for-7 from the field. A 32-25 halftime lead was built on the scoreboard through Edwards’ perfect 20 minutes (4-for-4 from the field with five rebounds) with upperclassmen represented by former Vol Evina Westbrook, who earned 11 points (2-of-7 FG and 4-of-4 from the line) and a trio of rebounds.
The game broke open in the third quarter, which the Huskies took by a 23-11 margin after scoring the first 14 points of the stanza. Despite her off night from the field, Williams statistically contributed on the first nine tallies of that stretch through points or assists, while Nika Muhl brought Hartford to its feet with a steal turned fastbreak layup after a steal of Jordan Walker. Tennessee needed nearly seven minutes of action to sink its first field goal of the third, a Sara Puckett triple that merely erased UConn’s afternoon-best 26-point lead. UConn shot 73 percent from the field and forced six turnovers from Knoxville.
Tennessee did what it could to sneak back into the affair, but Fudd was literally perfect to close things out by going 4-for-4 from the field, all but one of those shots being beyond-the-arc jumpers that kept the volume up as time trickled away. Fudd’s late showcase provided the finishing touches to Tennessee’s third loss in their last four games, the lone win in that span being an overtime triumph over Arkansas last Monday. Jordan Horston led all Sunday scorers with 26 points, while Westbrook joined her younger teammates in double figures with 14.
Big East play resumes on Wednesday night, when the Huskies battle Villanova on Wednesday night in Hartford (7 p.m. ET, SNY). The Wildcats (15-6, 9-3 Big East) have won seven in a row after topping Georgetown on Sunday. UConn owns a 12-game winning streak against Villanova, resuming their conference matchup with a sweep last season.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
