The 2025 national champions were up against a tenured women’s college hoops program. On Monday, March 23, coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies beat coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s Syracuse Orange 98-45 in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on the former’s home floor, the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.
UConn vs Syracuse Box Score
UConn
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| S. Strong | 18 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| S. Williams | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| A. Shade | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| K. Arnold | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| A. Fudd | 34 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| B. Quinonez | 18 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Patterson | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. El Alfy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| K. Heckel | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Ziebell | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| C. Ducharme | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Syracuse
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| J. Thompson | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| U. Izoje | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| M. Potts | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| S. Burrows | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| L. Phelia | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| J. Cooper | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| K. Scott | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Almon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| O. Akinbolawa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Nelson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| S. Hawkins | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Schmitt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| A. Velez | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
UConn vs Syracuse Game Summary
Given that coach Geno Auriemma‘s squad was the overwhelming favorite to win over Syracuse and advance further into this year’s March Madness, the Orange knew they had to trounce them early on. This was not the case, though, as the game opened with a UConn Huskies 11-2 scoring barrage. From here, the defending champions showed why they were the favorites, as they finished the first quarter, 33-8.
To open the second period, Azzi Fudd and company maintained their hot-scoring and stifling defense on Syracuse. The Huskies extended their lead to 45 points, as the score reached 53-8 at the 3:10 mark through a three-pointer by Fudd. The Orange’s first points of the frame came at the 2:52 mark, as they only scored one more field goal. After a dominant 32-4 period, UConn led 65-12 at halftime.
UConn was still on fire at the start of the second half, as it seemed as though the mounting of a comeback for coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s Syracuse was over at this point. Fudd kept her scoring afloat for the Huskies, showing why she is an expected top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. The Orange were able to seep through the Huskies’ defense and score the same number of points as their opponents in the third period. However, they were still down 82-29.
With a gigantic gap in between them, Syracuse did all it could against the Huskies. Meanwhile, UConn did not take its foot off the gas pedal, especially since the third quarter score ended up in a tie. Throughout the fourth period, both teams played to their strengths. Nevertheless, the Huskies proved to be too much for the Orange, as they advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 98-45 victory.
Read More: “Wants To Beat Everyone”: Geno Auriemma’s Former UConn Champ Reveals Huskies HC’s Ruthless Mentality
Also Read: Women’s March Madness Announcers Today: Full Broadcast Teams for 2026 NCAA Tournament Round 1
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