Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies registered a blowout 30-point win against the Tennessee Volunteers. The 96-66 win at home was the 23rd consecutive victory for the Huskies, who remain unbeaten this season.
Auriemma’s team dominated the game except for the second quarter, where they were outscored by the Vols. Still, they recovered from that and outscored Tennessee 54-24 in the second half.
Nearly everyone on the Huskies’ lineup made valuable contributions. Sarah Strong nearly dropped a double-double with 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in 37 minutes. The star of the game for UConn was Azzi Fudd.
She had 27 points with seven points and seven rebounds. The final score sheet shows a stark difference between the two teams. On a recent episode of The Hoops Cap, Mark Zanetto outlined that difference.
Only two of Tennessee’s starters scored in double digits. They had 20 turnovers, shot 38% from the field, 32% from the three-point line, and just 67% from the charity stripe. In comparison, UConn had 15 turnovers and shot 58%, 50%, and 82%, respectively.
Zanetto picked Azzi Fudd as his player of the game. He heaped praise on the 23-year-old for her overall game development.
“Azzi Fudd has been called a specialist, she’s an all-around player now. She’s absolutely lethal, she’s confident, she’s great from the mid-range. Her pull-up has gotten so much better. Her ball-handling skills have gotten better. And when she’s hitting from all three levels, there’s not a defender in the country who can stop her right now,” he said.
Zanetto predicts that Fudd is likely going to be the number one draft pick and can win the National Player of the Year. Auriemma’s championship run this season will heavily depend on Fudd’s performances.
Who Reminds Geno Auriemma of Kerry Bascom?
Auriemma has been UConn’s head coach since 1985. In over 40 years, he has seen a lot of great players who represented his program, and he has been a witness to the evolution of basketball over four decades.
He recently talked about Sarah Strong for an issue of SLAM Magazine, comparing her to Kerry Bascom, who played for UConn from 1987 to 1991.
“We had a kid from New Hampshire, way under the radar and built very similar to Sarah as a high school player, and her name was Kerry Bascom,” he said. “She was arguably our best ballhandler, our best passer, our best rebounder.”
“Now, you fast forward 30-some years, and you say, ‘This is the evolution of women’s basketball.’ …Through all the iterations of what women’s basketball has become, you’ve got a kid that size that can handle a ball like a guard.”
Strong is also in contention for the National Player of the Year honor. Alongside Fudd, she’ll be crucial for UConn’s title run this season.
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