UConn women’s basketball overpowers Villanova, 99-50

UConn women’s basketball took care of business against the Villanova Wildcats on Thursday, notching a 99-50 win at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies never trailed.

Sarah Strong couldn’t be stopped in any facet of the game. She finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals — all in just 28 minutes. Azzi Fudd chipped in with 14 points while Blanca Quiñonez added 13 points. KK Arnold tied her season-high in both points (13) and assists (seven) while Ashlynn Shade set a new career-high with five assists then matched a season-best with seven rebounds.

All 11 Huskies scored in the victory.

UConn seized control from the start when Fudd drilled a contested three with its first shot of the day. The Huskies never looked back. They held Villanova to just three baskets in the opening quarter while scoring at will down the other end.

At one point, UConn made eight straight shots — five of which were layups — to balloon the lead past 20.

The Wildcats eventually found their footing and were more competitive in the second quarter. They pulled off a 10-0 run, holding the Huskies without a basket for nearly four minutes. UConn answered with a 7-0 burst, though Villanova scored the final four points of the half. Both teams totaled 19 points in the second frame as the Huskies took an 18-point lead into the locker room.

Out of the break, UConn re-asserted itself. The Huskies put up 12 of the first 15 points in the half, prompting the Wildcats to take a timeout less than two minutes in. On either end of the third quarter, UConn out-scored Villanova 23-5 but in between, the visitors held a 12-6 edge. The Huskies still pushed their lead past 30 before the period ended.

Despite the big lead, UConn dominated the fourth quarter. The Huskies closed the game on a 23-3 run but came up one point short of their fifth 100-point performance. Ultimately, they came away with a 49-point win.

With the victory, UConn improves to 18-0 on the season and 9-0 in the Big East. Next, the Huskies will take on former arch-rival Notre Dame in an MLK Day showdown at Gampel Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET with Fox on the broadcast.