The Huskies put up a monster second quarter en route to their 33rd consecutive victory.
UConn women’s basketball rode a dominant second quarter to a 95-55 victory over the Creighton Bluejays at CHI Health Center on Sunday. The Huskies only led by seven through 10 minutes before starting the second frame on a 17-0 run and ultimately out-scoring the hosts 33-7 in the period.
Sarah Strong recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 boards — both game-highs — along with six assists and five steals. Blanca Quiñonez put up 15 points, Azzi Fudd added 14 points while Ashlynn Shade hit double-figures for the first time in seven games with 12 points.
After tying a season-low last game, UConn’s turnover troubles resurfaced with 19 in the victory.
The Huskies struggled out of the gate. Turnovers piled up early on as they coughed the ball up eight times — as many as they had in the win over St. John’s on Wednesday. Defensively, they weren’t in sync and allowed a few easy buckets on backdoor cuts. Creighton started 4-6 from field and pulled even at 10-10 with 3:41 left in the opening quarter. UConn scored six straight points to gain some separation and led by seven at the end of the frame.
Then came the second quarter. The Huskies tweaked their press defense, which made life miserable for the Bluejays. Through the first five minutes, UConn forced 13 turnovers and allowed just three shots. Creighton coach Jim Flanery burned three timeouts in that span but to no avail. With the defense dominating, the Huskies scored the opening 17 points of the period to blow the game wide open.
The Bluejays briefly stopped the bleeding with four straight points, only for UConn to answer soon after with an 11-0 burst. The Huskies took a 54-21 lead into the half.
Out of the break, Creighton scored back-to-back baskets, though UConn quickly erased them with an 8-0 burst. From there, the Bluejays never got within 30 points again and the Huskies eventually came away with a 40-point win.
UConn improves to 17-0 and 8-0 in Big East play. Next, the Huskies will return home to take on second place Villanova at Gampel Pavilion on Thursday.
Category: General Sports
