Saturday’s Round of 64 opener for the 2-seed UConn Huskies was never in doubt from the opening tip against the 15-seed Arkansas State Red Wolves.
With a commanding 103-34 win, UConn ran away with the victory in a dominant showing to advance to the Round of 32 in the Spokane 4 regional.
A 34-5 advantage in the first quarter from UConn was a sign of things to come for Arkansas State. This vicious block and layup on the other end from freshman Sarah Strong gave UConn a 13-2 lead to open the game.
Strong had 20 points (9-of-10 FG), 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in the game. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, she is the only player to put up those numbers in an NCAA Tournament game in the last 25 seasons.
In total, the Huskies had seven steals and 18 points off turnovers in the opening quarter.
Playing in her first NCAA Tournament game since 2023, senior Azzi Fudd had a dominant first half that featured 21 points (8-of-11 FG, 4-of-7 3PT), seven assists, two blocks and five steals.
She became the first player since at least 2019 to have 20 points, five assists and five steals in a single half of an NCAA Tournament game, and the only player to accomplish that feat in a half of a Division I game in the last three seasons.
This three from Fudd — one of 13 in the game for UConn — gave her 27 points for the game and extended the Huskies’ lead to 79-21 barely three minutes into the third quarter.
This type of performance in the NCAA Tournament was long overdue for the senior, who tore the medial meniscus and ACL in her right knee during practice in the fall of 2023.
UConn led 66-16 at the break. The 50-point lead at the half was the largest for any team in the NCAA Tournament since UConn led by 63 against St. Francis in 2018.
Senior Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, has also battled through numerous injuries, including an ACL tear and lateral meniscus in 2023. Saturday marked the first time Fudd and Bueckers shared the court for an NCAA Tournament game since the 2022 National Championship Game against South Carolina.
While Bueckers only had 11 points, Saturday was a reminder of what has been missing from UConn the last few seasons as its top players battled through injuries.
Along with the efficient shooting (58.8%), UConn’s rebounding edge (52-31), assists (29-5), fastbreak points (41-5), points in the paint (46-6) and 34 points of 20 Arkansas State turnovers show how much of a mismatch this game turned out to be.
The Huskies will face the winner of the Oklahoma State-South Dakota State 7-10 matchup on Monday. While the opponents are going to get more difficult as the tournament progresses, Saturday served as a reminder of what UConn is capable of when it is healthy.
